Hiding My Masked Affection
by spockjasperlokizukowriting
Summary: The darkness deepened as he gently leaned me against the wall, and amongst the chaos and confusion of my mind I could only whisper, "Thank you..." The blue mask flashed then all was still, leaving a hollow silence to carry down the street. Blutara.
1. Unmasked

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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The opening scene isn't accurately what happened in the series, I apologize in advance. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot of what I am writing about.

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**1**

_The ship progressed forward, crushing Sokka's wall with an easy might. Women and children around me screamed in terror, old memories of the raids surfacing in everyone's mind. I ran forward, scooping a child into my arms and hugging them close as I fell back with the others. Aang stood forward as the black, metal hull of the ship stopped. Smoke billowed out of the chimney stacks atop it, and a walking platform fell towards the snow, crushing ice as it landed with a heavy thud. I held the quivering child tightly in my arms, as to cease any of my own trembling. Seeing an alive, vibrant Fire Nation ship was even more terrifying then seeing a glum, abandoned one. _

_ Sokka kept his crouched position, wearing an determined expression to give us hope. _

_ The door at the top of the gridded walkway slid open, the metallic screeching noise making us cringe. We were all so used to hearing the quiet whisper of tiger-seal furs as doors opening. _

_ Masked soldiers with bulky, blood-red armor and taloned spears marched forward, each approximately equal in size. I covered the child in my arm's gaze with a gloved hand. I couldn't let them see the cruel, disguised faces of the enemy. My eyes widened as one of the soldiers came out without a masked face. Only one true face was in the amassing group of Fire Nation soldiers that poured like blood from a gaping wound. _

_ But even then, a scar marred the left side of face, wrinkled and a flushed pink. _

_ Sokka cried out and ran forward, but the young man with a face pushed him aside and off of the walkway, plunging Sokka headfirst into the snow. We flinched. That was all the defense we had. _

_ The undisguised young man walked up, standing in the center of the crescent made by the soldiers. He must have been their leader. He arched his shoulders, glaring at us, sticking out his bare fist, and demanding to know where the Avatar was. His voice was husky, but burned with a fiery rage unlike any of the flowing, melodic voices of the Water Tribe. _

_ When no one responded, he lashed forward and grabbed Gran-Gran by the arm, dragging her to his side and saying that the Avatar was supposed to be about her age. Everyone remained paralyzed. We were defenseless. I hadn't perfected my waterbending and Sokka was immobile, still struggling with the snow. _

_ He threatened us again, his face hardening and the snow melting slightly underneath his feat. Aang bowed his head and stepped before the young Fire Nation man, explaining that he was the Avatar. The young man looked surprised that the Avatar was a twelve year-old, raising an eyebrow smugly, the look on his face uncomprehending why a child would have so much power. Then again, he held authority over an entire ship, and he looked only sixteen. _

_ I couldn't believe it. How could Aang give himself up to the Fire Nation so easily? Would he ever know how truly evil they were? _

_ My mouth gaped, protests flooding out before I could control them. I put the child in another woman's arms and began to walk forward, my hand extended towards Aang in denial, like my simple, small hand could pull him back to me. I hadn't met someone like him in a long time. And he needed me._

_ Aang looked over his shoulder and smiled warmly at me, his gray eyes twinkling. He reassured me that he was going to be all right. I didn't want to believe it. But he sounded so sure..._

_ Two soldiers began to push him along up the walkway and back into the foreboding black ship. "No!" I cried, knowing that I shouldn't show weakness. Even in front of the Fire Nation. I made that mistake the day my mother died, telling her that I was scared in front of the man about to kill her. Gran-Gran held my hand to keep me from walking any closer to the enemy. My eyes traced Aang's every movement, waiting for a time to strike with all of my power if they hurt him. _

_ Aang stumbled minutely on a track in the walkway, but the soldiers snorted and kicked the back of his leg to make him walk on. He grunted in pain, keeping his fists clenched. _

_ I gritted my teeth, yanking my arm from Gran-Gran and running forward after Aang. How dare they hurt my friend! _

_ The young man that lead the soldiers grabbed my collar, pulling me back towards him and ending my pursuit with one swift motion. The fabric cut into my neck, hitching my breath as he dragged me closer to him. I struggled, trying to focus to summon the water around me to my will, but I couldn't concentrate as the man growled in my ear, "Oh no you don't."_

_ Sokka pulled his head out of the snow, blinking as he saw the man's fingers form manacles around my wrists. He hollered in anger, "Don't touch my sister!" and charged forward, throwing his boomerang. The man ducked, pushing me back towards the crowd as he watched the boomerang sail off into the sky. _

_ He turned back towards us for a brief moment, smiling in triumph for having humiliated my brother once again, and his molten gold eyes met mine for a brief second. I couldn't read the emotions churning silently in them, but his smile faded, his glare hardening and softening abruptly. He turned around marched back towards his ship, closing the door behind him. _

_ The walkway hauled itself back up to the hull of the ship, blending into the charcoal black metal once again, and the ship began to chug backwards. _

_ I watched in horror, not knowing that today was the last day I would see the Avatar for years. _

_ Sokka's boomerang sliced back through the air before us and landed in the ice where the young man had stood, sinking directly between the two footprints. It was just moments too late. _


	2. Arrival In the Capital Bay

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

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**2**

While everyone else who was not a hand on the ship leaned over the railing, turning every shade of green, Sokka and I, the only people on board wearing Water Tribe blue, stomached the turbulent waters and the salty air.

I clutched the cerulean scarf around my neck and settled into the warmth, squeezing the feeling and scent of home between my fingers. Sokka, shivering in his coat, stared at the people wavering with each step. Crouched on the ship's main deck we huddled together, wide-eyed and frightened, rocking with every smooth motion from each wave. The wind tugged on the stray strands of hair that escaped the bun it had been folded into, the loops swaying. The metal deck groaned and leached the heat from our bodies, plumes of ash towering towards the sky, raining down with cinders that stained our modest blue colours.

Sokka pressed his knees against his chest, eyes desolate. "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"But especially now."

"Rations will go out in a few minutes—be patient."

He grumbled quietly to himself, wiping dust from his dark pants. I inhaled, coughing and nearly choking on the smoke in the air. My eyes watered from the stench of sulfur and I rested my head on Sokka's shoulder.

"Sokka?"

"Mmm."

"What do you think she'll be like?" I asked, expecting a reaction but he remained still.

"Dunno. Haven't thought about it, really."

My stomach churned, hugging my arms to my chest. "Oh."

"We can't blame him, though. Surely we can't. I mean, he had to deal with mom too, right?"

"Right."

"And, it's not like we couldn't've seen this coming in the long run. He had to settle down sometime."

"And he did."

"He did," Sokka agreed curtly, leaning his chin on his knees.

"It's just for the summer," I assured, more to myself than he.

"Yeah. Then autumn in the South Pole. Then back again for the winter, and that time we'll bring Gran Gran. And she'll be happy, because she hasn't been to a place like the Fire Nation before."

"It'll be warmer than the South Pole. We wouldn't have to worry about hunting any more."

"Yeah—no more hunting. No more ice, no more snow-storms, just a land of heat and summer and ash. No more ocean. No more Southern Lights." The thought seemed to rattle him and he trembled.

"We'll get to see fireworks," I encouraged, dreaming of the explosions of light and colour.

Sokka didn't move.

The thought crossed my mind and I breathed, "Maybe we'll see Aang."

The idea seemed more preposturous said-aloud than thought. Sokka let the words hang in the air for a moment before wearily sighing, "No. Don't count on that."

"But just imagine the thought. The Avatar. And perhaps he'll remember us."

"The Avatar. Remember the two Water Tribe peasants who let him go," Sokka chuckled bitterly.

"No, Sokka, it's not at all like that," I said, shaking my head, still leaning into his back. "We couldn't have done _anything. _Appa had flown off before we could find him and the ship was too fast for us. Besides, Aang had other help. He's the _Avatar. _And who are we? Two Water Tribe peasants."

Sokka inhaled, frowning. I continued, "Say that we do meet Aang in the Fire Nation, and he's there because of some diplomatic mission, and dad is there too because he's an official person with responsibilities in the Fire Nation government. We'd meet Aang, and he'd greet us by name. What would you say to him?"

Sokka paused, thinking for a moment, before he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck sorely. "Hello. Thanks for saving the world. Happy fifteenth birthday. How've you been?" Sokka wrinkled his nose, glancing down towards me. "You?"

I let myself imagine the impossibility of the scenario and smiled. "I don't know. I don't think I _could_ say anything. I'd be too busy admiring how tall he's become."

"Tall?"

"Yeah, tall. I heard some emissaries several weeks ago talking about how when they saw him, the first thing they noticed that he's nowhere near as short as people rumoured him to be," I explained blinkingly. "And how he's become a nice young man. No longer a child."

I opened my eyes and inhaled. "Why wouldn't he remember us? We freed him from that ice-berg. And he's not completely clueless- he'd at least recognize our faces."

"Katara, that was three years ago," Sokka mumbled, exasperated. "He only knew us for about a day. Then that Fire Nation kid came and took him away. You know, the boy with the ugly scar."

Sokka groaned. "Don't even remember that Fire Nation kid's name."

"I don't think he said it," I recalled with a frown.

Sokka stretched, yawning and rubbing his eyes. The livid shades of red from the setting sun stained the sky. He turned to me, blinking blearily. "I miss Gran-Gran."

I nodded, tightening the scarf around my neck and pulling my parka further down my shoulders. The air was turning cold, even this far north from the South Pole. The ship rocked gently again on the waves. "We shouldn't be afraid of the Fire Nation any more," I attempted, but my eyes watered. I knew that wasn't true. I was terrified.

Sokka bit his lip, slipping his gloved hand into his knapsack and filching a brochure, one with a detailed explanation of the palace city, something we had picked up while waiting for transit to the Fire Nation in the Southern Earth Kingdom city of Gwon Hai. "Look, that's where we'll be staying," Sokka began, pointing to the estate circled in red. "It's a half a league from the main palace, where we'll be invited to regularly, depending on how active Hakoda—,"

"—dad," I interrupted.

"...dad..." he corrected, "is. He'll meet us down there, at the Southern Docks." He traced the pathway to the volcanic crater with his finger.

My throat stung. "How could he..." I mused, clenching handfuls of my coat in tight fists.

Sokka stared at me. "What?"

"How could dad...do this... Remarry like this. How could he do this to us? How could he do this to mom?"

"Katara..."

"There's no excuse for it," I growled, eyes watering.

"Look, I hate it as much as you do," Sokka promised, voice uncertain. "But that was dad's decision, not ours. Remember, we have nothing to fear from the Fire Nation any more. Every peace treaty says that they're our allies, and..."

I gazed up at him.

Sokka sighed, holding a hand over his mouth as if the thought troubled him. His fingers fell before his words, "...I still trust dad's judgement."

He took a deep breath. "Look, let's focus on the things that we do know right now. For instance, we know that we'll be seeing dad for the first time in years."

I nodded, breath hitching but I believed him. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

"And we know that in the letter he gave us, he was being sincere."

"Sokka—,"

"He was," Sokka forced between gritted teeth. "He wants to be with us. That's three. Fourth, he wants to start over. He wants us to have a mother. He wants...to somehow convince himself that life isn't so bad when you find someone."

His expression softened, heaving a sigh as he stared at the floor, shoulders curled inwards. "Though that part will never make sense no matter how coherently phrased. We can still hate him for something we don't understand. We just need to give it a chance right now." His voice quavered.

I lowered my gaze, sinking into his back. "Okay."

Sokka nodded, stuffing his hands in his parka's pockets, expression apologetic.

The people around us started to release themselves from the railings and settle down, waiting for the helmsman to come out and give us our dinner. I dug through my knapsack and pulled out our sleeping bags, laying them out and giving Sokka his pillow. He helped me set up our portion of the deck into a small bedroom area, using what we were given with efficiency, just like how we were taught back home. Eventually, men bearing sacks bulging with rations of food came out onto the deck and started distributing their sack's contents to the gatherings of families.

When we got ours, Sokka hungrily dug into his loaf of bread with a bottle of soup. I just chewed my seal jerky patiently, my mind set of saving the rest for later.

I stared off into the horizon, watching the sun disappear beneath the black waters. The light sky faded into a star-lit black, and soon everyone was whispering quietly amongst themselves by the light of a lantern, and Sokka was curled up in his sleeping bag, snoring loudly.

I sighed, told Sokka good-night (only to be answered by a belch), and cleaned up after ourselves, making sure that the only things not packed up were our pillows and sleeping bags. I leaned back and gazed at the stars.

I shut my eyes, letting the calm motions of the water relax me.

* * *

"Land ho!" cried a helmsman from atop a tower, and everyone diverted their immediate attention to the direction he pointed. A small slice of green stretched across the blue waters in the distance.

I smiled, pulling a stray strand of hair out of my vision and squeezed Sokka's arm. He looked at me and grinned, leaning down and resting his elbows on the railing. Small children were hoisted up by their parents as they pointed eagerly, the distant shapes of buildings and trees growing more defined.

"We finally made it..." I breathed, my heart fluttering.

"It looks...like land," Sokka managed. I frowned through my smile and pulled our bags closer, the wind dancing with my loose scarf, nearly pulling it from my neck.

The ship continued at its painfully slow rate. I passed the time wringing my hands, stomach twisting uncomfortably. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry," I said, forcing my hands into my pockets.

Sokka sighed, gazing out to the trees bursting with pink blossoms and the lush green grasses of spring running along the shoreline like a jet of colour. Gulls cried over our heads as land neared. The sandy beaches became clearer with the passing moments, and soon we could see the busy harbour at the base of the city under the tall, stretching black mountain. Details became clearer as we approached; the houses were topped with red brick, with red fabric serving as curtains for the wide, square windows. The civilians were decked in all shades of red, pink, and yellow. Vendors sold foods and souvenirs at their stalls, shouting lists of items I hadn't even heard of before.

I suddenly turned to Sokka, eyes wide. "Promise me we'll give her a chance."

He looked stunned. "I promise."

"And you won't let me do anything stupid."

"I promise, Katara, calm down," he said, timidly giving my arm a squeeze. "We'll be fine."

I hid my face in the shade of a hand, leaning back with an arm crossed over my stomach. "Sorry, sorry, just give me a moment."

"Prepare for docking!" shouted a sailor, herding us away from the railings and onto the centre of the deck.

Sokka looked at me with flickering eyes. "Moment's up." I held onto my bags as he led me by hand to the masses of people, standing amongst the shades of red and green.

The ship approached a dock protruding from the market place, lurching to a sudden halt as it made contact with an automatic anchor. We all took a moment to steady our footing to the sudden lack of motion and the ship-hands opened a gangway down to the metal landing platform. We rushed single-file from the ship, soldiers boarding the deck and marking us off from the passengers list.

"Come on, dad should be waiting for us," I urged, picking up three of our bags and towing Sokka behind me.

I readily searched the crowd for a familiar strong, defined face. Gran-Gran had told me to look for an older version of Sokka, an able-bodied man with high-slanted cheeks and blue eyes.

People bustled busily around us, bumping into Sokka and I more than once. Sokka grabbed a hold of my hand, using his height to an advantage as he scanned above the heads of the crowd for our father. So many colours mixed together into one big mesh, overwhelming me with a wide array of reds, greens, yellows, and browns. I couldn't keep track of them all at once; every face looked the same. An indistinguishable mesh of voices thrummed in my ears, almost drowning out Sokka.

"Katara, follow me!" he whispered in my ear, and carefully navigated us between bodies until we could finally breathe in an open space by stacked bushels of rope.

I dropped the bag in my hand on the wooden planks and leaned on the rope, sighing with relief that I wasn't being meshed into the crowd, becoming just another person in a confusing chaos.

"That was hell," Sokka grunted, wiping off dust from his shirt.

"You shouldn't use that word," I muttered, crossing my arms and squinting through the mass of people. Dad had to be here. We had arrived on time.

"I don't see him," I said, surprised.

Sokka watched the crowd with wide-eyes, concerned.

I fished out the schedule from my personal bag and traced my finger down the table of times and dates. I found our ships name, the _Jing-Mei_, and reread the information twice.

"We were on schedule..." I stated slowly, and Sokka just looked angrier. "We probably missed him."

Sokka moved towards the group of soldiers standing by the station of rickshaws. "I'll ask for help."

I grabbed his arm, "No, wait." He halted, blue eyes penetrating. "Just give it a few moments. We've only just arrived."

He nodded, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Hakoda!"

I waited a beat, but there was no response. "Hakoda!" he called louder.

A breeze swept through the courtyard of people, carrying cherry blossoms that floated on the wind, but our father remained amiss. My heart sank.

Sokka inhaled, gazing at me quietly. "Katara, if he's not here, he's not here," he stated. "We ask for help now."

"Katara! Sokka!"

A chill ran down my spine and I glanced over my shoulder, only seeing the crowds of people pushing on the cobble-stone street. I checked my brother, who stared wide-eyed into the congregrations, frozen still.

"Sokka?"

He raised his hand and pointed at a tall, slender boy sprinting to us, wearing pale orange and salmon pink robs, neck laden with a ceremonial necklace while a blue arrow ran down his bald head, innocent smile wide while he grey eyes flickered. He quickly slowed his pace, halting and grinning, setting out his staff while he rolled his broadened shoulders back, chest heaving up and down in excited breaths.

Sokka and I looked between ourselves and the boy, both of us in shock.

"...Aang?" Sokka gasped, letting go of my hand and stepping forward, inspecting Aang as if he was a mirage. "What are you doing here?"

My mouth felt dry and my heart skipped a beat, a pressure expanding in my chest.

"I'm picking you up," Aang surmised, eyes twinkling as he gazed kindly at me.

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Wha...why?"

"Hakoda and Suiya are back at the house, preparing a surprise for you," he shrugged, relaxing his staff at his side.

I blinked. "Aang...I..."

He watched me expectantly. "Aang, I can't believe it. It's you... You're here."

Aang smiled. "Welcome to the Fire Nation, Katara."


	3. Enemies of the Republic

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

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**3**

"I- I just...you..." Sokka stammered, frowning in confusion. "I've missed something, haven't I?

My fingers wormed their way around my mothers necklace, which was still strung memorably around my neck.

Aang self-consciously smiled, eyeing me. "We can talk in the rickshaw. There are tons of questions to be asked and answered."

"I have millions," Sokka answered, still staring blankly at Aang, moving forward. Aang offered to take a bag from me, which I obliged him happily, following as he led me by the arm to the station. There, he quickly flagged down a rickshaw, drawing the eyes of people in the crowd. Whispers soon filled the gaps in silence, among them words whispered about the Avatar.

The driver placed our bags in the back, Aang reminding him to be careful and delicate with the contents after giving me a funny look when one of them rung like struck china. I smiled guiltily. "Gran Gran sent with us wedding gifts," I explained, Aang's eyes softening knowingly as he helped me into the rickshaw. "Sokka almost talked her out of it, but she...she had faith he would not have married out of impulse." He had to have reasons: so I would have to bite back feelings of betrayal and celebrate, belatedly, their marriage.

Sokka sat with weary shoulders beside me, jolting as the rickshaw pulled forward through the crowded streets of the Southern Markets. He parted the curtain in the doorway and watched the passage of the outside suspiciously, deciphering the deep conspiracy of thought and messages in the Fire Nation people.

"Where's Appa?" he finally asked.

Aang's eyes twinkled. "He's off getting pampered at the cleaner's." He sat a little straighter when he caught me gazing at him.

The quiet dragged for a little too long and I cleared my throat. "Well...I guess we're all thinking it. Why are you picking us up, and not dad and..."

"Suiya," Aang completed after the pause, eyebrow raised.

I nodded, leaning forward with palms pressed against the seat.

Aang dipped his head understandingly, voice dulcet. "I was all ready here, negotiating peace treaties between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, when I met Hakoda at a council session, escorting Suiya while she was supporting her father. He looked so similar to you that I walked over and struck up a conversation. When he found out I knew you and Katara, we became quick friends."

Sokka raised an eyebrow.  
"He told me that you were coming," Aang explained respectfully. "And so now I'm picking you up while they make the final preparations on... a little surprise for both of you," he added.

My heart clenched, beating in my chest. "Oh."

Sokka didn't answer, staring into the streets.

"So, what did I miss?" Aang asked, delving into a new conversation eagerly.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What happened while I was gone," he clarified, smiling politely. "You both look different. And act different."

I bit my lip uneasily. "Aang... Don't take it personally, but we're not exactly thrilled to be the Fire Nation."

His grey eyes flickered understandingly.

I shifted, crossing my legs. "We're just a little confused and hurt right now."

Aang's expression relaxed. "It's okay, Katara, I understand," he assured, voice calm and warm. "I think I know how you feel. I felt the exact same way when I realized that my people were gone, and that I was all the world had left. Like nothing would be the same, and I was betrayed."

I relaxed my clenched hands, knowing that at least Aang hadn't completely transformed without me knowing what had happened.

I smiled timidly. "What happened after you left the South Pole?"

Aang seemed mollified for a moment, eyes distancing as he recounted. "After I escaped from Zuko, the man who apprehended me, I knew that waterbending was my next priority in bending. But I couldn't take that duty seriously- I was still a child. Instead of going north to learn bending, I spent my time exploring the Earth Kingdom. I went home again, and that's when I realized how truly alone I was." His smile faltered, and he started again after a pause. "I didn't take your warning seriously, Katara, that the world was really in war. So instead I visited Kyoshi Island to ride the Elephant Koi. It was there on Kyoshi that I learned what importance I really had to the world, and how it was my duty as the Avatar to uphold balance. It seemed everywhere I walked I gave people hope."

I listened intently, taking in every detail and trying to picture it in my head, while Sokka just stared lazily out through the see-through red curtains of the rickshaw, a distant expression on his face.

"I was chased by various Fire Nation ships to the North Pole, where I was told of Sozin's Comet and the ultimate goal I had to complete, and that was to master all of the elements in order to defeat Ozai in time."

He soon began to ramble on continuously, but kept a flare in his voice as he described his difficulties learning earthbending from his young master, Toph, and how he managed to perfect his waterbending with the scrolls he was given. Zuko, a former enemy, rose to become his firebending master, joining the revolution and turning against his father for the good of the Fire Nation. Lingering on the details of Zuko's personal transformation from the damaged boy to Fire Nation royalty. When the war was ended by the downfall of Ozai as a bender and the Phoenix King, Aang was a fully realized Avatar, Toph was servicing a metalbending school, and Zuko became the new Fire Lord.

I blinked, the motion halting beneath me as Aang's story ended. "Wow, we really did miss a lot..." I murmured quietly.

Sokka nudged me quietly. "We're here," he explained when I rubbed my arm.

Aang grinned and nodded, holding the door open for me as I stepped from the rickshaw, flinching at the unexpectedly bright sun. The ridges of the volcanic crater struck the air like the edges of broken glass, breaking the sunlight into rays of light and shadow. The houses were cleaner here, without the faint stench of soot and grime along stone. The thought in their design was blatant, the curvature of the roofs reflecting the light and patterning the reds and whites of the stone in geometrical shapes. The streets were quiet, save for the few grandly dressed people with servants following obediently. The stark elegance of the city muted comments from both Sokka and I.

"It's different from the Southern Water Tribe," Aang admitted, helping Sokka carry bags from the rickshaw. He met my gaze. "It'll take adjustment, but I think that you'd grow to like it."

Sokka concentrated sceptically, servants rushing and opening the metal gates to a manor with spires that curled down into the shape of a long-petaled flower. The leader of the attendees gracefully took bags from Sokka and divided the ones from Aang amongst his followers, giving me a polite smile in the process. My stomach twisted and I glanced at Sokka with a look admitting how unpleasant this could become very quickly.

Aang rested his staff across his shoulders and strode to my side, nodding through the gates and towards the house. "What do you think?"

I gazed in the direction of the house and halted; the mansion, enclosed with towering, smooth stone walls with solid borders, spread out across an acre of land, lush gardens twisting and flowering against a fountain and a small gazebo, a pebbled pathway winding through the green. The slanted roof tiles dipped in rich angles, with fine imprints of characters upon them, lined with gold. The roof riles were slanted down at a curved, royal angle, with fine imprints of characters on them, lined with gold. The metal of the gates twisted and bloomed like the garden itself, and the bright sunlight shattered to highlight a wrapping veranda and multiple stories.

Sokka took a moment, biting his lip, mustering courage as he looked down to me with a knowing look.

Aang shifted. "The architecture is very Fire Nation, and the house has been kept up well."

"Suiya's family must be very wealthy," I mused.

Aang nodded. "Her father is a high-ranking councilman and her mother is a cousin to the Fire Lord's mother. Suiya's a senator, so she has inherited the house from her father, who inherited it from the generations before. The house is older than the war itself."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Impressive."

Sokka walked in first, cautiously striding on the path that divided streams of grass and organized patches of flowers, lilies bordering the pathway that split in opposite directions. The bubbling fountain moved quietly while orange and red Koi fish swam lazily in sapphire waters. Farther into the garden tall trees stood in bloom, the gazebo effectively shaded in the forest of blue and gold, built with a mahogany, sturdy wood.

Aang led me down the central path, following Sokka's lead and pointing to various flowers while explaining their meanings. His boyish grin couldn't have lifted my heavy heart.

Sokka scanned the porch with a critical eye, though I secretly knew he had never seen anything like it. We both hadn't. The architecture didn't make immediate sense to us— place was too rich as compared to the modest tents of home. I ascended my first flight of stairs to reach the porch, Aang at my side, Sokka reviewing the estate momentarily before admitting, "Well, it's different than how I pictured the place. Dad said big but not huge."

"It's great!" I gushed, filling in what threatened to be an awkward silence.

Aang walked up to the huge double-doors that ran a long length to the ceiling. He gestured towards them, looking at us and said, "Are you ready to see your parents?"

"Parent," Sokka grumbled. I pinched his arm and smiled for the both of us.

"Yes, we're ready," I surmised, throwing Sokka a pointed look. Sokka quietly fumed, holding his arm before nodding towards Aang.

"Yeah, great," he managed.

Aang raised an eyebrow, but sealed his lips and disappeared inside, opening the door after a pause to let us through.

The shade of the inside took us in and I blinked, hues dancing in my vision as I made out the candle, sun-lit darkness of the entry room, spanning in every direction to lead to a central stairwell delving through the centre, circling up into the higher stories while red fabric fell down across the tiles in curtains and tapestries, the cold air sinking in from the stone walls and hollowed ceiling. Corridors branched from the main hall, lined with ceremonial Water Tribe regalia and Fire Nations totems of the like, the mix of scarlet and blue colours and smells colliding and nearly dizzying both Sokka and I, taking in the living room that sat to our left while the dining hall rose on a higher level to our right. Silver weapons hung low on the walls while drapes of gold and white floated in a slowly moving drift of air.

The servants vanished with our bags to the higher stories while others came and permitted the three of us to remove our shoes and relinquish our knapsacks, increasingly considerate when Sokka shot them hard looks. Aang nodded to both of us, setting his staff on the low, wooden table in the living room.

"I'll fetch Hakoda and Suiya," he announced, leaving with a rhythmic lope in his step, disappearing towards the rooms behind the stairwell.

Sokka and I looked at each other, sharing a moment of uncomprehending silence.

Sokka moved in a moment of uneasiness and gushed, "Katara. Something's wrong. This isn't right. Everyone's acting strangely, especially Aang."

I held his shoulder and forced him still. "Sokka, shush, you're overreacting. It's paranoia speaking."'

"Except that it isn't paranoia, Katara. This isn't _right!" _

I shut my eyes and stood close to his side when Aang appeared again. "I know, Sokka..." I whispered. "I know."

Aang strode proudly, trailed by a tall, lanky man donning navy blue colours, his hair tied back while his steps sounded with the rustle of snowboots, a ceremonial dagger strapped to his side. His eyes weren't his eyes—they were Sokka's, calm and stark blue, his broad shoulders evening down into gripping muscles while the aura of confidence he bore in his posture said Chief. By comparison, the woman at his side was unlike his stature- modest and timid-looking, with small shoulders and a thin neck, wavy, curled hair tucked into a dark, draping bun fastened with a jade pin. Her sash around her crimson robes accented her small waist and hips while royal, golden embroidery added texture to the fabric, hardening thick hems. Her sallow, slanted cheeks gave way below surprisingly fiery, violet eyes, deep and rich despite such a submissive demeanour at the side of my father.

When she met my gaze, her grip on Hakoda tightened while her thin, red lips pulled in a hopeful smile.

The chill returned and my hands quivered. _Not mom. _

Aang stood to the side, leaving an appropriate space between us.

Suiya grinned wider at us, her eyes twinkling with happy surprise. "Hello Sokka and Katara," she greeted, nodding to each one of us as she said our names. My chest went hollow and my throat felt tight, suddenly making it hard to breath and formulate a response. My palms felt wet and a powerful feeling of nausea took hold. My grip on Sokka reflexively tightened, everyone nearly avoiding each other's gaze.

Her words seemed rehearsed, said to perfectly yet awkwardly. "My name is Suiya. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time," she continued.

I forced myself to look her in the eye, releasing Sokka to keep my hands straight at my sides. My stomach lurched and I paled, disgusted. Memories of my mother's own smile, the special, love-filled one that she wore when at my father side, came rushing into my mind. I bit back tears, promising myself I could do this correctly. Sokka's wide eyes glanced down to me. He couldn't do this either. It had seemed so much easier when left to the imagination. But the reality came crashing down.

"It's so nice to meet you at last," I acknowledged, voice cracking. "I wish I could express how happy we are that you found dad." I hiccuped and turned away in embarrassment. _No, I can't do it. _

Sokka stiffened, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. He kept his gaze averted the floor, refusing to look up to our father and step-mother.

Suiya tried to smile, but kept a guilty expression while she sank into my father's side, trying to find comfort in his presence. She was too fake- she nearly couldn't do this either. All of her experience with acting for politicians didn't prepare her for this, either. My chest burned in guilt, but I couldn't face her. I couldn't replace mom with her. I knew that now.

Dad held out his arms to us, grinning past his moistening eyes. "You've grown up so much," he breathed, searching our faces for something familiar as he stared intently. Aang shuffled to the side, trying to occupy himself with something else.

My brother nodded, shutting his eyes and swallowing harshly. "Yeah, you missed that phase," he replied curtly.

I grimaced, knowing that if I didn't act soon, my chance at a new life would crumble upon itself. Without thinking, I rushed forward and threw myself in my father's outstretched arms, burying myself in the arms I forced away from Suiya. No, dad was mine.

Hot, wet tears streamed down my cheeks and I hid my face in his shirt. He smelt for Water Tribe traditional male-perfumes and spices, and I choked on the familiar scents of home. "I've missed you so much!" I cried, letting him hold me as tight as I gripped onto him.

He leaned down to kiss my forehead, and I pulled back as he knelt down, cupping my cheeks. "I've never truly left you," he promised, reading my eyes like a book. He gazed momentarily past my shoulder at Sokka, before returning his sight to me. "You look so much like your mother," he whispering, squeezing my upper-arms and bringing me into his embrace again.

I peered over my father's shoulder at Suiya. She looked immensely uncomfortable, shifting her weight on her feet and trying to think of who to look at: Aang, me, her new husband, or her introverted step-son.

I shut my eyes and tried to lose myself in dad's familiar touch, the scents and memories of home, and a prayer that it would be all right.

Someone cleared their throat unexpectedly. "We...er..." Suiya shrank under Sokka's betrayed expression.

"W-we have homecoming gifts for you," Suiya finished, managing another smile. She was better at his than any of us. I opened my eyes, pulling away from father's arms reluctantly and standing, trying to keep my cheeks from fading a shade of pink. Sokka appeared at my side and dad stood up, looking down at us proudly.

Suiya turned around and began to walk gracefully down a hallway. Aang trailed behind us as I walked behind dad with Sokka at my side. I took the opportunity to grab Sokka's arm and bring him close enough for me to whisper in his ear, "Please, Sokka, help me do this by doing it yourself."

Sokka glowered, almost hopeless. "Yeah, well, trying," he forced between gritted teeth, a look of revulsion taking hold when he looked upon Suiya. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"No," I demanded in a hushed voice. "Save it for later, we're not done yet. Come on."

"So dad leaves us, marries into the enemy, doesn't even go to the docks and have the decency to greet us, and we're still going to give it a go," he stated disbelievingly. He snorted. "I've walked into a nightmare."

Suiya turned into a room the branched off of the blood-red hallway. The room was bright yellow, with warm patterns of blue inlaid in the paint. The room was three times the size of the entrance hallway we had previously been in, with many pictures decorating the walls and the curtains gently swaying in the light breeze seeping through the open window. The window provided a scenic view of the entrancing garden, and made up the majority of the wall farthest away from us. Several neatly arranged tables scattered the room, as if this was a private meeting room, one central, long, lowered table slicing cutting the room down the middle. Unfamiliarly shaped, wrapped objects sat on the table, a long, oddly shaped column of red silk standing closely by.

Aang took the space by my side while Sokka hid closer to the wall, feet crossed nervously, a frowned fixed on his face as he folded his arms and gave us an anxious eyebrow.

"As you know," dad began, standing next to the table and taking on his lecture-voice, "I have been travelling around the world in search of an opportunity of ending the war. During this time, I collected things, in thought of you both." He gestured to the table. "They're from all over, including this nation and our sister tribe in the north."

My eyes widened, Aang grinning proudly. Hakoda picked from the collection several cylindrically shaped gifts, closed in blue and white satin, with purple bows holding the stitching together. He held it out to me, his eyes glistening. "Katara, these were given to me when I visited the north. I trust you'll find great uses for them."

My heart began thumping against my chest as I shakily took the object and slowly unravelled the pooling cloth. Three sets of eyes bore into me as I fumbled with the knots before they slipped in unison and fell in a heap to the floor. In my hands were three ancient but conditioned scrolls. The tops were carved of tiger-seal bone and repeated the word "balance" over and over in many different Water Tribe dialects. I slowly opened one of them, lips parting when I read the title: "Form and Energy Transfer of Northern Waterbending."

"Waterbending scrolls!" I exclaimed, pulling them up to my chest and giving dad a stunned look. "I...I can train now! I have something to go by..."

Sokka lowered his eyebrow, surprised looks crossing his face quickly.

Dad smiled heroically while Aang blushed, Suiya standing a little straighter—the first appeasement had gone well.

"I could also teach you a few moves that Master Pakku taught me. Those scrolls work better when you have someone to help interpret them for you," Aang offered.

I smiled earnestly at him. "I'd love you to."

Dad reached back to the table, picking up an oblong shaped gift and extending it towards Sokka.

Sokka eyed it suspiciously. "What's this?"

"A gift from the Fire Nation, as an apology for occupying any soldier in your tribe with our pathetic war, and away from teaching you to fight," Suiya answered cautiously.

Sokka blinked, his expression going blank. He pushed himself off of the wall and stared suspiciously at Suiya. "You think... the war was... pathetic?" he tested, eyebrows knitting.

Suiya bowed her head. "My father was an advocate against the war for the longest of times, but in order to avoid banishment he was forced quiet. My family has given thousands in support of rehabilitation efforts to restore lost culture and balance. Part of these efforts are going to you."

Sokka slowly took the gift from our father's open hand and tugged the silk off it. In his hands was a sheathed black sword the ran a long length out of the side of his clasped fingers. The hilt was gold laced with silver, with Water Tribe and Fire Nation symbols engraved into the design. He slowly unsheathed it, the ends of his mouth tugging slightly into a concentrating frown as the sword balanced in his grip. The metal was an obsidian black, and gleamed a dark sheen of light that bounced off in different directions. Sokka held his composure and slipped it back into his case.

"The war is over," he dismissed, holding it off to the side. "Fighting should be irrelevant. Why give us these now?"

Hakoda moved quickly. "It's a right of passage for your both to learn to fight."

"Yes," Sokka cut-in. "To fight. Not just to defend ourselves, but to do damage. That's different."

Aang frowned. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't strengthen your talents. There's more to learning swordmanship and bending than just fighting."

Sokka wasn't convinced, slightly grim as Suiya advanced on the other gifts. She held a small blue and white vile of water that dangled from a carefully made silver chain. In her other hand, a white, shimmering pendant that played and broke the rays of sunlight in gossamer hues, markings reflected from the surface onto the walls.

"For you, Katara, two additional things for your neck," Suiya explained, passing them over through my father. "Water from the Spirit Oasis in the Northern Water Tribe, as collected by Aang, and a moonstone that will bond with you and accelerate your physicality. Both have special properties to both protect you from harm and to heal others. The moonstone glows at night, and can only be found on the bottom of te ocean in the waters nears the Eastern Earth Kingdom, and is worn only by Water Tribe royalty. Once it touches your skin, it will always belong to you and give you power in your bending. Others of its kind have been known to save people from near-death experiences. They cycle on from owner to owner only through death. Both are yours to keep."

My father carefully placed both pendants in my trembling hands, and the moment the moonstone touched my skin the glistening silver aura strengthened, and the world suddenly felt clearer, more defined, and new sounds bloomed in my ears and new smells entered my nose. He lifted the chain of the vile around my neck, letting it hang down my chest.

Hakoda then turned to Sokka, who was shyly admiring the gleam that his sword could give off. "And to protect my son, I have these two things." He walked over to the column-like mount beside the table and stripped the drape to the floor, revealing a poised suit of Water Tribe armour. Sokka's jaw dropped and he gasped. "You- it- why- eh-" he stammered.

Dad smiled. "Traditional Water Tribe armour. It's strictly Southern, but made with metal from the Air Nomads." He chuckled, "Wouldn't want my son wearing nothing but the best in training and combat."

He reached in and drew out a small capsule of purple liquid hidden in a pocket by the neck; an injector.

"This is a poison that you can give your enemy if you are disarmed. It'll knock them out in thirty seconds, and kill them in sixty. I hope you'll never have to use this." He tossed it over to Sokka, who, thanks to his fast reflexes, caught it without failure.

Sokka eyed our father. "Why are you giving this to us? What kind of trouble to you expect us to get into around here?"

Aang's breathing quickened, and Suiya suddenly looked like she'd rather be in one million other rooms other than this one.

Dad took in a deep breath. "There are... people, in this world who still hate the Fire Nation. There are people who still hate the Earth, Water, and Air Nations. There are people who would... hurt you, because of your affiliation with both Fire and Water Nations, and the Avatar. I want you to be prepared. The end of war does not automatically bring peace to every quarrel made."

Aang's breathing cracked, his eyes becoming downcast as he avoided my questioning gaze. "Who would hurt children?" I asked.

Aang clenched his fists. "The same people who are still after me, Katara."

Sokka suddenly looked menacing. "Who?" he demanded.

Aang grimaced. "The Azkai."


	4. Fire Lilies, Blue Masks

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I only write about it because it rocks and for fun. **

**Oh my gosh, you're reviews made me laugh my head off in happiness! I love you guys so much! I have no idea my writing was this good. :D This chapter is dedicated to Densharr (you make me giggle), Da-Best-Lulu-Ever (you really are the best!), Zarosknight (awesomest knight ever!), EmpressVicky (queen of them all!), and mrsharrypotter! (Harry rocks!) And then there is my ever-lasting gratitude to YolandaFriella. If you ever get bored with waiting for me to update, check out her zutarian stories!

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**4**

My stomach twisted uncomfortably and the air in the room suddenly felt too stiff to breathe. I hugged my scrolls to myself tighter and tried to read the faces of those around me. Suiya looked embarrassed, dad looked nervous, and Aang looked guilty.

"Who are the Azkai?" Sokka said, shattering the silence and making us all flinch.

Aang gulped, forcing a smile and biting his lip. I knitted my brow in concern; I had never seen Aang look even remotely scared before.

"They- er," Suiya tried to find the right words.

Dad cut in before she could attempt to speak again. "They're nothing you should worry about right now: these are just gifts that we thought you would like."

I nodded, painting optimism on my face for the crowd. "And we do love them, dad, it's just it's a little bit revealing for you to give us weapons and healing devices. Not to mention giving klutz here-" I gave Sokka a pointed look, "- an injector full of deadly poison. Who are the Azkai, and what danger are they to us?"

His expression turned grave, and he stared directly into our eyes. "I'll explain it to you later, but now is not the time. We have a tour of the house to give you, and Aang must show you your rooms."

Aang perked up abruptly, jumping in front of us and presenting a happy expression on his face again. "Yes, you're rooms! Follow me!" He jogged towards the door before turning around and motioning us to follow him again. I grinned at Sokka, following Aang as he walked out to door. I turned back momentarily and saw Sokka standing hesitantly at the door.

"What's wrong, Sokka?" I asked, beaming at him to try and coax a smile onto his contemplating expression. He glanced back into the room before looking back at me. "You go ahead Katara. I'll be there in a second, I just need to talk to dad for a moment. Suiya, do you mind?"

"Not at all," I heard her answer and she walked out of the door. Sokka threw me one last glance over his shoulder before disappearing into the room, shutting the door behind him. I blinked, feeling a little shocked and left out as I stared at the space where he had been. My heart gave a painful squeeze as I turned around and followed Aang to the entrance hallway and up the stairs. As I took careful consideration of the path Aang was leading me down so that I could remember it later, and with Suiya walking patiently beside me, I couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. I made a mental note to inquire Aang about who was out to hurt him. Or _what _was out to hurt him.

My two new necklaces felt cluttered on me. Not only was I wearing my mother's betrothal necklace, but now I was wearing a moonstone entitled to me _and_ a vile of sacred water from the Spirit Oasis. What would I wear at one time? Was dad trying to make me take off my mother's betrothal necklace to wear another thing? My fingers reached up at brushed the smooth stone that had been passed down to me from three generations. Gran-Gran had worn it, mother had worn it, and now I wear it.

I sent a silent prayer to our goddess, Yue, that whatever Sokka wanted to talk to dad about, that it wouldn't hurt anyone and was with good intentions. This had to turn out all right. What would go wrong? And who could hurt me?

My vision focused on the back of Aang's bald head as he lead us down a series of hallways, each looking the utterly the same, like the pathways of a maze. This would take some time to get used to. Nothing was simple anymore, such as the one-roomed huts of home.

Aang's voice cut through my thoughts, making me blink. "I'm sorry, Aang?" I took a moment to take in my surroundings: We were in front of a closed doorway in a red-painted hall.

He smiled. "This is your room. Care to do the honors?"

I chewed my lip, a little self-conscious as Suiya clasped her fingers in nervousness, and I turned the doorknob and let it swing open.

My eyes widened as I walked slowly, in shock, into my new room. It was so _huge._ It was painted shades of dark and light blue, with images of the phases of the moon engrained on the walls. There were ancient Water Tribe masks and carvings hanging on the walls off of hooks, and the wooden floors were carpeted with thick animal furs. My bed sat against the farthest wall, with blue, yellow, and white sheets draping the king-sized mattress. I walked up to it, placing my scrolls on the bedside table and gazed around the room in awe. The head-board of the table depicted the image of a young girl sleeping in a garden at night, with long flowing hair that twisted around her and up into the moonbeams cast down upon the scene.

I traced my fingers over the wood, trying to figure out if this was real or not.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. I saw Aang prance up to the curtains of what I presumed was a window.

"Wait till you see the view you get of the city," he promised, and he spun around before throwing air-jets the curtains, parting them all the way with a brilliant flourish and streaming in sunlight. I squinted through the sudden introduction of sun-rays, getting up and walking to Aang's side. The curtains had been covering a set of framed, glass doors that lead out into a cement balcony. I pushed open the doors, smiling as a world of color and beauty engulfed me, pulling me away from my troubles that lurked inside the house and into the pulchritude outside of it.

The view was enthralling. Trees lined houses and their gardens, and with the new heightened sense that my moonstone gave me, I could make out more tones and slivers of color that graced the Fire Nation capital. I unconsciously walked forward until my knees bumped against the velvet, padded bench that was connected to the porcelain railing. I leaned on the railing, cupping my cheek and kneeling down, sucking in the view of the city. I never knew this kind of world could exist in this manner, in this potency, outside of looming glaciers and sheets of colorless ice. All the shapes, luminosity, all the light that could be reflected off of the buildings, was so defined and never meshed into one. It was like a painting of a peaceful city nearing sunset that I could reach out to, and never touch.

I turned back to Suiya and Aang. "It's so amazing!" I gasped. Aang turned all shades of pink and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"I thought you would love it," Suiya grinned, releasing her clenched hands. "For a moment there I thought that you didn't like it."

I giggled. "Why would I not like it?"

Suiya shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "I've never had children before. I don't really know what to expect," she admitted.

I smiled sympathetically. "It's okay. I will never _not _like something here."

Aang nodded enthusiastically. "Katara likes everything," he supported.

Suiya's eyes twinkled. "That's good." She turned to me. "Your bags will be brought up to you in a moments notice. Dinner will be in several hours. I have some business to attend to, but you are welcome to explore the house as you please. Aang will assist you if you get lost." With that, she spun around with a lithe dancers step and left through the doorway.

I turned my attention back to Aang, patting the spot next to me and smiling. There was a strong breeze and he was suddenly sitting right next to me, crossing his legs and leaning against the railing politely. I jumped in shock, before blinking, shaking my head and smiling. "You really need to give me a heads up before you do that."

Aang stared blankly at me. "Do what?"

"I- never mind. It's not important."

Aang shrugged, his eyes widening when he glanced at my neck. He looked between my face and my neck several times, looking tempermentally worried.

I frowned. "What is it?"

"You-you're- engaged?" he stuttered.

"Huh?"

He pointed to my neck again, keeping his his eyes locked on my face as I glanced down. I let out a heavy breath of relief when I realized what he was talking about. I ran my fingers around the cool charm and gave him a reassuring smile. "No, Aang, I am not engaged to anyone. This was my mother's, and when she died, it got passed down to me," I explained, trying to keep my voice level at the memory of her kind smile.

Aang looked a bit relieved, and relaxed his body. "Oh, okay. For a moment there... I'm sorry for your loss, though," he replied.

I nodded. "It's okay. I'm going to have to turn it into a bracelet now that I have two more things to wear around my neck." I reached back and was about to untie it when Aang's hand shot out and grabbed my wrists, pulling them away from the back of my neck. He shook his head at me. "It's okay, Katara. I like it on your neck. You shouldn't have to change what you've always had for something that was just given to you."

I gave him a sympathetic look to mollify his pleading one. "It's okay Aang. I can easily make this into a bracelet. It's better than replacing the chain for my moonstone. And I'll just wear my spirit water around my waist in a belt. It's not big deal. I don't want everyone, like you, thinking I'm engaged when I'm not."

Aang tried to hide his minute disappointment. "Oh, okay. Fair enough."

"What do you have against it?" I questioned. Aang blushed, looking at me and hugging his knees. "Hmm, me? I have nothing against it. I'm perfectly okay with you changing it. It's just that I think it looks better as a necklace, and that's how it was when I first saw you, and-"

I placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to silence his nervous rambles. "Aang, I've missed you too," I consoled.

He dropped his lengthy legs out of his embrace and gave the floor a defeated look. "I wished you could've come with me to see the world. There were... moments, that I felt scared and alone, and moments that I needed your assurances. Like when I visited my native temple only to see the carnage the Fire Nation had put my people through..." He trailed off, his eyes glazing over. He suddenly looked vulnerable, showing his inner fear again.

I rubbed his shoulder assuringly. "You did so well on your own, Aang. You saved the world, and you came back to us. That's what matters the most. I don't care if you made mistakes along the way. What truly matters is that you got back up on your feet in the end."

He pursed his lips and nodded. "If only you had told me that when I watched Ba Sing Se fall under Fire Nation rule." He pulled his knees up to his chest again and hugged them, before looking at me again. "You're not happy, are you, that Hakoda married again?"

I bit back my surprise. "What makes you think that?"

Aang shrugged. "I know Sokka isn't. He's been really anti-social."

I snorted. "He's just like that. He's not happy with it. I have no problem, on the other hand."

Aang shook his head, furrowing his eyes at me. "Katara, you're lying. I can sense that you are lying with earthbending. Master Toph taught me that everyone has a physical response to lying, and I've been taught to sense it through feeling vibrations in the floor. And you, Katara, are lying to me. You can tell me these things."

I shook my head, placing my hands in my lap and staring out into the distance, tracing the jagged edges of the volcano with my vision. The sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky, tinting the clouds with warm colors. "Aang, I acknowledge that this is sudden and may be difficult, but I'm also giving Hakoda a chance with his new life. I'll support him through whatever he wants to do with his life. It's not like I can change his decision."

Aang nodded, following my gaze out to the horizon. "That makes sense."

I sighed, but quickly suppressed a smile and seized my chance. "Aang, tell me now: who are the Azkai?"

He jumped, opening his mouth to protest again and back out of it.

I scowled. "Don't lie to me, Aang. You can tell me these things."

He grunted in defeat, avoiding my gaze. "Okay, they're a gang that lives in the Fire Nation. Their symbol is a Fire Lily. No one knows where their hide-out is, and no one knows their plans. They commit assassinations on foreigners that come here to sign peace treaties, and they've tried to kill me more than once." He clenched his knees unconsciously. "Then, they occasionally kidnap people. The bodies always show up three days later at some meaningful location to that person, and what they do to some people is just..." Aang shivered, wincing in horror. A lump formed in my throat.

"Then why bring Sokka and I to the Fire Nation?" I asked, trying to see the logic through the information Aang had just given me.

"Suiya has many duties here, and if she leaves, it would be a huge pain to the government. She needs to support her father and family in their many affairs. Hakoda wants to be with her, and he wants you to be with him here," Aang said, still staring keeping his sight averted from mine.

"Have the Azkai... made any moves or threats to him?" I inquired.

Aang paled. "One, but that was months ago. Before he married Suiya. It wasn't that serious, and nothing was actually followed through. They might be biding their time for a big attack, but we can't be sure. So, to protect ourselves, we keep our schedules as secret as possible to ensure that they know as little about us as we know about them. They have never attacked inside the volcano at the heart of the capital before, so you are safe."

I relaxed slightly. "What do they look like?"

Aang paled. "This is a really tentative subject-"

"Aang," I interrupted firmly. "If Sokka and I are in any danger being here, at least _fully_ explain to us what it is."

He chewed his lip. "They attack at night so no one really gets a good look at what they wear or what they look like," he stammered quickly. "All I know is that they use shadows for cover." He flopped back against the railing and heaved big breaths, relieved that he had gotten it all out.

I figured it would've been best if I didn't tease anymore information out of him. He looks a few shades whiter as is.

I prodded him and got up as a few well-dressed servants walked in, carrying my bags with great care and placing them on my bed. One of them looked up at me, her blue eyes glistening obediently. "Is there anything else you would like, Lady Katara?"

I walked over to them, shaking my head with a smile before dismissing them.

"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Lady Katara," they bowed before shuffling out of the room.

Aang followed them towards the door, pausing as they went out to look back at me quickly. "Dinner will be ready in two hours, and since it's still light out, why don't you and I go explore the garden? It's so incredible what array of plants can be grown only in the Fire Nation," he tempted.

I nodded. "Sure, that sounds fun. Could Sokka join us?"

"I heard this phrase once and like it: 'the more the merrier'," he answered, clasping his hands behind his back and smiling eagerly. He reminded me of a young child: so eager to please the ones they looked up to.

I wore a tender expression, giving him a delighted smile in the process. "Sounds lovely. Meet you in a few; I want to change into some more presentable clothes."

"Oh, sure," Aang grabbed his upper-arm and scooted out of the room awkwardly. "Um, yeah, well, see you in a few minutes, then!"

"It'll just be a moment," I clarified and then proceeded to shut the door behind him. He forced a smile and then waved as I shut the door politely, leaning against the firm wood and breathing a sigh of relief.

Finally, a few moments to myself.

I quickly dug through my bags, sifting through an assortment of coats, dresses, training outfits, evening dresses... I couldn't find anything that was grand and casual enough to walk through an enticing garden. "Stupid picky fashion sense," I muttered under my breath and turned towards a closet embedded it the wall adjacent to the balcony. I raised and eyebrow, approaching it with my arms folded across my chest. I slid the doors open and blinked in shock as it revealed a walk-in closet that had hundreds of dresses and outfits; most of which were Water Tribe, and yet some were a blend of red and blue fabrics. I allowed myself time to pick through the dress-section, feeling the cloths and styles, trying to find what suited the occasion for now. At least I had many more options to choose from now.

I settled for a halter dress with thick, seamed straps and a blue over-fabric which parted in the middle to reveal crisp white satin. It was a perfect summer-time gown, and wasn't to long on the hem in case I had to walk through dirt. I slipped it on, enjoying the feel of a new fabric on my sensitive skin, and wove in blue ribbons in my hair, keeping my loopies but allowing my braid to fall freely in a wavy heap down my back.

I turned around, looking at myself in a mirror that I found in the closet. I grinned, nodding to myself approvingly. It was a nice outfit for the occasion.

I opened the door to reveal Aang waiting dutifully and expectantly with Sokka hunched up against the wall, giving the floor one of his dark, brooding looks.

Aang giggled nervously, blushing at the sight of my new appearance. I smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Absolutely," he breathed, looking stunned. Sokka momentarily shifted his gaze to me, before rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air. "We're just going for a simple, quick walk. Nothing to get dressed up for."

I shrugged his comment off and smiled, knowing perfectly well that what he said was Sokka language for, "You look awesome."

"Then lets go for our _extravagant, long_ walk in the garden," I stressed, pulling him away from the wall and allowing Aang to lead us down another mesh of hallways that all appeared identical, then down the main stairs and out into the garden.

* * *

I giggled as Aang showed showed me how to make a Snapping Dragon open and close it's "mouth." The sun was setting farther now, and I could smell the fragrances of unknown foods wafting outside the windows of the mansion and into the garden. Stars were beginning to appear through the clouds, and Sokka was sitting on the steps leading up to the gazebo, picking the petals off of an orchid in a melancholy nature. "What's so funny?" he grumbled, not bothering to look up.

"This!" I squealed in delight, picking another Snapping Dragon and making it open and close its jaws playfully at his face. Aang rocked back on the balls of his feet, and laughed along with me. It almost felt like three years ago, when Aang and I had been sliding down hills and across planes of solid ice on the backs of penguin-otters.

I sat back on the livid grass, folding my legs beneath me as I admired the inner workings of the flower between my fingers. Sokka rolled his eyes and yawned, the action accented by his stomach growling.

"So what? It's a stupid flower," he acknowledged.

I frowned at him. "Sokka, you've been very good so far; don't ruin your record now."

He held his hands up in defense, dropping his mutilated orchid. "Hey, I'm not the one who wanted to come out here and mess with flowers." He stood up, brushing the imaginary dirt off of his pants. "I'm going inside."

I gave him a hurt smile. "Sokka, please? Just another hour. For me," I wheedled, making him stop with my last sentence. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, storming back towards the gazebo.

"Fine, but when the bugs start coming out and annoying me, I'm leav-" he cut himself off as he stubbed his toe on the bottom step of the gazebo. His ears turned red as Aang and I clutched our bellies and rolled on the ground laughing at him. He rubbed his foot and fell back on the ground, glaring at us.

"Hey, that hurt!" he defended.

"That was hilarious!" Aang panted, laying back on the ground and looking up at the darkening sky. I folded my hands behind my head and sighed happily. It was strange to be watching the sun set at a normal time without the appearance of Arctic lights dancing across the stars. A half-moon was beginning to gleam through the thin, disappearing clouds.

"Was it always like this?" I asked Aang. "To just be able to lay back and watch the sky transform?"

Aang nodded. "Yeah. Nature is a really calming place to sleep at night."

Sokka slapped a bug on his neck. "Yuck. Nature. Get it off of me!"

"Sokka, just leave it alone and it'll leave you alone," I lectured, trying to resist rolling my eyes.

"Eww, now I have bug on my neck!" he complained, wiping his hands on his pants.

Aang and I shared another fit of giggles at Sokka's misfortune.

"Kids!" called dad from the porch. "Dinner's ready!"

"Okay!" I shouted back, sitting up and ruffling the straws of grass out of my hair, in doing so dislodging one of my ribbons and sending it floating in the breeze. "Oh no!" I gasped, standing up and trying to chase after it, huffing in defeat as it drifted over the wall.

"Come one Katara!" coaxed Sokka from the porch. I turned around to give them one encouraging look.

"I'll be right back, I need to go get my ribbon!" I explained before jogging up to the gate, opening it easily.

"Katara!" Aang called. "Come back! Just let it go!"

"But it's not mine," I defended, shutting the gate behind me and taking off after the ribbon down the street, keeping my breath level as I tracked it down in the fading light. The streets were completely empty, and servants occasionally walked out to dim their porch-lights for the night. The last of the sun's body disappeared behind the horizon, only leaving a few last glowing rays in it's memory. The moon shone brightly above my head, and the moonstone around my neck changed its glow from dusty yellow to a wan white.

"Katara..." I heard dad distantly yell from blocks behind me. I stopped momentarily, cupped my hands over my mouth and cried, "I'm okay! I almost have it!" My heart skipped a beat as my voice echoed eerily off of the empty streets in the deepening darkness.

I tore through the air again, closing in the last few paces between my ribbon and I. The ribbon was only shifting lazily on the cold streets as the wind played sleepily with it once more.

I stooped down and picked it up, kneading it between my fingers and snorting at it. "You cheeky little piece of cloth," I scolded, pretending in a child-like way that it was actually sentient, that it had feelings like any other human.

I stood up straight, looking around me. Only moonlight was providing me with light now in the chilly darkness. I shuddered, rubbing my arms for warmth and berating myself for forgetting a jacket, and for not sending a servant to fetch the ribbon for me. But I quickly shoved those thoughts aside: I borrowed this ribbon from the closet, therefore it wasn't mine and was my duty to look out for.

I began to head back the way I came, trying to remember the specific houses I had passed on my chase after the rogue-ribbon. But all of the houses looked the same: monstrous in size, with closed-in walls and metal gates. I blew a stray lock of hair out of my face as I estimated which streets I had turned and how far I had come. I clenched my fists after fifteen minutes, finally admitting to myself that I was lost.

I allowed myself a face-palm. "Ugh, Katara, you idiot," I murmured, feeling a little scared and awkward at how much my voice would reverberate around the streets. I suddenly felt alone, inferior, and helpless. I didn't even have my water-pouches with me. I stopped at a round-about in one of the streets with a fountain in the middle, thankful to have water by my side. I wove the ribbon into my hair, dipping my hand into the clear, freezing water and dabbing my sweaty forehead with it.

I heard a muffled footstep come from nearby, one that was meticulous but sudden. I jumped, turning around and standing up, curling and uncurling my fingers. I felt for the presence of the water beside me, just in case some sick person decided I would be their victim.

"Who's there?" I asked the empty black.

There was a slow beat before I heard the hurried scuttling of feet across what I thought was the tiles of the roof. I shivered, my palms suddenly feeling wet as my heart-rate picked up. I prayed to Yue that I was safe.

Whoever was walking around me wasn't very good at sneaking around. Either because they were no real threat and were terrible fighters, or such a good fighter and a huge threat because they never _had_ to sneak around before.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to quell thoughts of the symbol of a Fire Lily from my mind.

"I'm serious; who's there?" I growled, quickly changing my stance to a basic attack form when I heard a cruel laugh stretch out through the still air.

I jumped, turning around until my gaze fell upon a tall woman, thick yet slim with toned muscles that showed through her thin, black tank-top. She wore baggy black pants and close-fitting fighting boots. Her long, raven-black hair curtained away her face, but I could make out florescent, golden eyes from behind the threads of hair. Her skin was a sickly pale, and her lips were blood-red. Her head was dipped towards the ground, her shoulders arched in a predator-like stance.

"I'm flattered that you are scared, Katara of the Water Tribe," she sneered. I shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. Her voice was so slick, sweet like honey but hard to listen to. Each time she spoke, it felt like someone had dropped acid down my spine.

Slowly, like shadows themselves, I watched ten black male figures stalk out of the dark behind several buildings, each of them surrounding me at a different angle.

I paled, trying to keep my focus through my fear. "Never show fear..." I told myself under my breath. My eyes darted back and forth for an exit to open.

The woman took one step closer to me. I jumped and was suddenly surrounded by a coil of water from the fountain.

"A waterbender?" came a deep, evil voice from behind me. My skin crawled with dread.

"All the more fun," the woman taunted, snickering before opening her taloned hands wider and igniting a small but strong flame over her palms. "Well, we can bend too, Katara. But on a master level."

My eyes felt pressured with oncoming tears. A red symbol had just flashed on one of the mans arms, the curled petals gleaming in the shape that I knew all too well was a Fire Lily. The water around me tensed as I did. I struggled to keep my expression emotionless.

"Recognize us, huh?" came a dark voice suddenly behind my ear. I jumped, screeching in shock and spinning around to hit him with a cold lash of water.

Fingers formed manacles around my wrists and the water fell to the ground, no longer obeying my commands as my hands were occupied. And I hadn't even been taught to bend using my feet.

_Spirits..._ I prayed.

"Block her!" snarled the woman, and suddenly a series to knuckles danced around on my back, jabbing a sequence of different places with a harsh force.

I cried out as I suddenly could no longer feel my arms and legs, and the presence of the water I knew was beside me suddenly faded from my mind. I felt blind as my vision dulled.

"She has a moonstone!"

"It's giving her power!"

"Quick, take it off!" they whispered hurriedly to each other. Tears were now flowing freely down my cheeks.

"Don't touch me!" I screamed as loud as I could through my aching, numb body.

"Like _that'll_ stop us," one of the snickered. "We're the Azkai! And you've just being introduced to your fate."

"No... Sokka... Dad... Help me!" I tried through my teeth as a new kind of pressure wrapped around my wrists, pulling them behind my back. I was being bound. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt fingers weave around my neck and carefully removed my precious necklace. I screamed as my insides slowly began melting in pain. They took it! They took my power! I wanted nothing more than to murder them.

My eyes widened in surprise as I was abruptly gagged and blindfolded. I attempted to scream and struggle, but my body wasn't listening to my mind's commands. The world felt like it was spinning around me, and senseless vibrations collided with my stiff skin. The world was completely black and cold, the darkness so strong it bore down on me. I felt like I was sinking, helpless and mute. All I could do was hear and wait.

"What the-"

"LOOK OUT!"

There was a loud explosion that was echoed with pained cries. I was kicked on my side, and there was the sound of hard metal scraping against itself. It made a stinging cry as it whistled through the air, and then was followed by another explosion and the billowing sound of fire being moved faster than it would like to be. A wave of heat rushed above me, prickling my skin.

"Help..." I moaned, but it sounded more like, "heelumpf."

Glass shattered over me, sending thin strips of pressure across my arms and torso. I was drenched in what felt like water. Or, I mentally shuddered at the other option... blood.

_Yue help me!_

Footsteps pounded around me, sliding and stomping as a fight scene formed around me. Metal clashed and explosions boomed. I was kicked, either accidentally or on purpose, and the presences of the warriors in the struggle faded in and out from around me. _  
_

"He's mine!" I heard the woman screech maliciously. There sound of metal being moved through the air answered her, and she suddenly sucked in a tight breath.

"Sury! No!" a male gasped in alarm. The woman choked back another cry as she pulled something out of her body, making my pained stomach twist as I heard what I thought was the sound of flesh being ripped apart.

Metal clashed with the stone ground. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! THIS WAR WILL BE STARTED! AND KATARA'S BLOOD WILL BE ON YOUR HANDS!" she screamed, and feet pounded on the ground as a group of people took their leave, their footsteps disappearing quickly into the night.

The air froze into the unbearably painful quiet.

They were _gone._

I let out the breath I had been holding, my inhales and exhales hitching uncontrollably. I could feel myself shaking, and my wet body wasn't helping with the chilled air around me. I heard the familiar scraping of a sword being unsheathed, and my blindfold was suddenly gone, floating in shreds around my head. The binds around my wrists loosened and slipped off. I tried to move my hands, but my body still wasn't answering me. A pair of gloved hands slid something around my neck that glowed brightly in my eyes, and my inner pain suddenly ceased. _My moonstone!_

The gloved hands hesitantly began to tug at the cloth gagging me, and I let loose a fit of coughs as it was suddenly removed. A pair of arms circled around me, picking me up underneath my shoulders and leaning me against the cool stone of the fountain. My vision slowly strengthened as the moonstone gave me power again, and I squinted through the darkness to see who was helping me.

I gasped as someone pinched the base of my spine, and suddenly all feeling came back to my body. I heaved in deep breaths, doubling over my stomach and placing my head between my knees, trying to get the blood to my brain and to keep my stomach from retching up everything I had eaten in the last several hours. I was covered in water from the fountain, but I felt bruised and there were several places showing through my dress that had blood dying the blues and whites.

When my mouth stopped watering sickeningly, I pulled my head back and looked around me, trying to see who my saviour was.

When I saw him, I stumbled back, screaming in fright. There was a man crouched down on the rim of the fountain, duo swords strapped around his back, and wearing a grotesque, terrifying mask of the Blue Spirit. He was clad in a dark brown training outfit, with not one part of his skin showing. He bowed towards the ground, inclining his head in my direction through the beams of the half moon.

My bottom lip trembled as I slowly crawled backwards away from him, wincing as shards of class cut into my palms and dress further than they all ready had. "Who are you?" I croaked.

The Blue Spirit remained motionless, keeping his hollow, mysterious gaze pinned on me.

I stumbled to my feet, the world spinning around me dizzyingly at the change of position. I lifted my hands into the moonlight, biting my lip and turning away as I saw the crooked lines the glass had torn into my skin. In the corner of my vision I saw a series of vases that had once contained flowers, shattered and strewn carelessly about the street, coming from a flower bed of potted plants and vegetables. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. I was suddenly grateful that I hadn't witnessed the fight that had recently happened around me, knowing that it must've been brutal.

I glanced back at the Blue Spirit to see him standing up straight on the fountain, staring down at me from his massive height. I noticed a small tear in his jacket across where his ribs were. There was no blood, but the tear still looked like the result of a dagger or sword. His eyes were hollow as he studied me, his fists clenched at his side.

"Please, I need to get home," I begged, falling to my knees as waves of nausea disconnected my mind and my body. I felt so shocked, so non-functional, and so... scared. Tears fell freely from my eyes now. I wanted nothing but to be wrapped around in familiar smelling furs, sitting by the fire-side with Sokka draping an encouraging arm around my shoulders, with the cold polar air nipping at my cheeks playfully.

I felt arms circle around my waist and under my legs, and I was lifted off the ground. I snuggled up into the warm body that was carrying me, craving the intense heat, and I stared up fearfully at the mask the man wore, shivering despite his calming lukewarm chest. He walked quickly but carefully, each step considerate of my aching body.

"Katara...!" I heard a distant voice call. Aang?

"Katara!" Sokka screamed, his voice echoing throughout the streets. I flinched; he sounded worried, heartbroken, and angry at the same time.

The Blue Spirit stopped and leaned towards the ground to set me down. I grabbed feebly onto his shirt, looking up at him and swallowing any fear I harboured. "Thank you," I whispered, letting him gently lean me against the cool wall surrounding a house. The hollow eyes of the mask stared at me for a few seconds, before he nodded, straightening up and throwing his hand towards the sky, shooting a jet of fire into the stars. When the stream reached a height close to the clouds, it exploded into a shower of blue, gold, and red, trickling down through the thin clouds.

"Sokka, over there!" Aang called, and the sound of wind tumbling through itself became more prominent as he neared.

I turned back to the Blue Spirit once more to get a glimpse of him taking off down the street, jumping up onto walls and crossing over roofs with fast and agile movements.

"Katara!" Sokka screamed in terror, and a new pair of arms enclosed me in a nervous and protective hug. Sokka buried his face into the crook of my neck, shaking in relief.

_Was my brother actually crying?_

He pulled back, gazing intently at me with his warm-hearted gaze. He cupped my cheeks and wiped away tears and blood with his thumbs. "Katara, are you okay?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together as his blue eyes glowed in the dark. Aang landed a few feet behind Sokka, his expression worried and fearful as he spun his glider and morphed it back into a staff.

"Oh gods... Katara, who did this to you?" Aang questioned, and raised his hand to cover his mouth in revulsion. I must've looked as bad as I felt.

Sokka squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face away from me and letting a few lone tears ease down his cheeks. "Hakoda!" he screamed, grabbing fistfuls of my dress tightly. "HOW COULD YOU?"

**

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A/N:**** Exciting, no? Tell me what you think! Comments, concerns, critisms (constructive, at that!), and compliments are welcome. Thank you very much!**


	5. The Distance in Dreams

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

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**5**

Memories plagued my distant dreams. The images and worlds around me shifted through moments of sheer horror, to aching and hopeless scenes of loss.

At first, I was having a snowball fight with my brother back home, giggling as innocently as young children could. Black, mutilated snow began to drift around us, and fumes from the encroaching Fire Navy ships stung the air with an acid-like smell that hurt my throat.

We halted our game, and looked up in shock at the blackening sky, screams erupting around us as men burned, women were struck, and children were abandoned.

And all we could do was stand.

The memory dissolved into the staining black colour of the night, and then my body went numb as I lay on a cobblestone street, staring up at a tall, shrouded man silhouetted by a half-moon, and donning a Blue Spirit mask.

I was suddenly flipped onto my stomach, slowly sinking face first into the salty, gelid waters of the South Pole, the fuzzy shadows of underwater predators slinking around me in the corners of my vision. My dress floated around me, flashing to me that it was too blue for the sea-green, dark purple transparent white world around me.

Suddenly, there was a big, glowing ball of ice below me, slicing through the all ready filtered light in the tranquil water. My eyes widened as I picked out the form of a sleeping, curled Appa with Aang in a meditative position below him.

I quickly snapped my head to the right as I saw an armoured young man from the Fire Nation swim with ease towards the rounded ball of ice, jagged scare pulled along his cheekbone and temple, angry expression murderous.

He took a moment to right himself before shooting lines of red flame at the ice, melting it open and releasing an unconscious Aang and Appa.

He turned back to me, his golden eyes flashing like fire as he took Aang by the arm, fastening his fingers in unbreakable shackles around Aang's skin. "The Avatar is mine!" he snarled, tightening his grip on Aang's arm, voice undisturbed through the water.

Devastation gripped me and I floated, frozen in the cold, while he moved to swim to the surface, pausing only to meet my gaze. He hesitated, golden eyes suddenly bold as he turned and pushed upwards.

I curled up into a ball and waited, staring up at the surface from the dreary, glum ocean floor. I took life as it came at me along the swift current, and waited for a restoration of life, for a sign to stop me from sinking.

Eternity passed, yet there was nothing.

More dreams came, clear compared to the foggier memories.

I was once standing in the frothy snow at home, leaning affectionately into Sokka's warm hug as he squeezed my shoulder. I gazed at the flickering lantern he had dangling from his free, outstretched had, and he watched with sad eyes as all the men in the tribe were whisked away in giant ships, out the save the world with their meagre numbers.

I shut my eyes, gently letting the memory and sensations I had felt years ago fade and morph into new images, new ideas. I felt my body rock gently in the calming rhythm of waves below a ship, and I was back on the Earth Kingdom cargo carrier being lead to my new life, my new fate, and a rescue made by a mysterious Blue Spirit.

I was suddenly propelled into the future. I was sitting on a garden bench in a royal Fire Nation palace, aged eight years, and holding out my arms towards a child with black hair and blue eyes running towards me, his pale skin glimmering in the light and his smile brighter than the sun. He was beautiful in all standards, and his eye-colour plumes and tumbled like a rolling, fiery ocean. His step, though he was two years old, was graceful and lithe, and the grass hardly bent beneath his weight as he sprang up into my arms, crying, "Mommy!" in delight.

Then the outline of a Fire Lily started burning in the garden image, crinkling it like paper, and my son flew out of my arms and into the simmering hole that the imprint had carved into the back-drop, like burnt paper darkening what was once radiant, streaming colours. The embers flew about in a taunting, frightening dance, and my son disappeared into the black. His scared shouts and cries faded as I sat there, shocked at what had been given to me and taken from me in the same moment.

But the dream around me faded, and new, tense, coarse feelings of pain replaced my stinging emotional agony, and my eyes truly opened to a world of bright colours, screaming noises, and air scented with Fire Nation spices.


	6. Aftermath

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

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**6**

"You had no right to drag her into this!" Sokka screamed, his voice swollen with rage and betrayal. "You _knew_ they could've targeted us! And now she's been attacked!"

"Sokka-" I heard Suiya try to cut in soothingly.

"Shut up!" he snapped. "Our lives were perfect without you! At least you've managed to uphold your nation's reputation for being back-stabbing monsters!"

I blinked, the world around me blurring into one garbled picture. I then squirmed, testing out my body gingerly to see if I could move. My muscles reacted perfectly but they ached with a throbbing, blunted pain, and I was restricted from the thick blankets wrapped thoroughly around me. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a pathetic croak and my ears popped as they were suddenly being used. I squeezed my eyes shut quickly then opened them wide, being thankful as clarity began to define my line of sight.

"Be quiet, Sokka!" I heard Aang protest. "Katara's-"

"Don't even get me started on how much I am pissed off at you, Aang!" my brother yelled. "How could you be on their side? Has the Fire Nation ever done _anything _to you? Have you learned nothing from the war!"

I twisted my neck until I could see Sokka, Hakoda, Suiya and Aang standing at the far side of my room. Gray light streamed in through the open balcony, and various healing utensils were stacked in a chaotic fashion at my beside. I was layered with thick Water Tribe blankets, with my hair undone and left to flow in a scraggly mess in every direction.

Suiya was cowering behind Hakoda as he stared disbelievingly at Sokka, who was fuming and throwing his hands around in wild gestures as he vented an incurable wrath. Aang was standing modestly in the corner as far away from the conflict as he could possibly be. He was clutching his staff nervously, ready to whack anything that came to close. Most likely the thing being Sokka.

All had tired, worried looks on their faces that mingled with an expression of guilt, but Sokka by far looked the worse. Inky black circles were under his angry, tense eyes, and his clothes were tattered, dirty, blood-stained, and wrinkled from the lack of attention. His hair was put hurriedly into its traditional Wolf Tail, but it looked as if he had been running his hands through it all night. If he hadn't been so outraged and furious he probably would've been passed on the floor with exhaustion.

I wriggled my hands and arms free, wincing in pain from the sudden movements, and loosening the furs around me so that I could breathe better.

Sokka became more livid by the second, turning his murderous glare from Aang to our father. He pointed at Hakoda, snarling, "I'm taking Katara back home in three days time, and if you don't act fast on how you can make her safer here, _and_ prove to me that you haven't turned your back to your family, then we will stay until the summer solstice. But that's _it._"

I attempted to sit up, only vaguely hearing his oaths to Hakoda, and a searing panging surged through my torso. I squeaked, collapsing down on the bed with a big thud. Everyone's attention was immediately diverted to me, Sokka excepted. He only stiffened his all ready arched shoulders, and clenched his fists so hard until his knuckles turned white. He turned away from me, hanging his head in shame.

Aang's eyes widened and he burst over to my side, helping me straighten the sheets around me in a worried manner. His eyes were filled with tender concern as he asked me, "Are you all right?"

I rubbed my eyes, still feeling woozy and confused from my abrupt wake-up call. "I'm better than I was," I mumbled, blinking to clear my vision again.

Aang shook his head, pursing his lips and staring at me softly. "I'm sorry that we woke you," he cracked, fiddling nervously with the hem of his shirt. "We should've taken our argument somewhere else."

"Katara!" Hakoda exclaimed, running over to me past Sokka. He stopped five feet away, keeping his distance, his expression wary as he looked hesitantly between Sokka and I. "Who did this to you? We need to know. The whole city has heard about the attack on you," he burbled, and Suiya wrung her hands nervously.

My temples throbbed as memories I wanted to so dearly to forget came flashing back into my mind, hollowing out my chest and forming a lump in my throat. I suddenly found it hard to breath, even with the blankets loosened.

"Dad, Aang..." I began gently, taking on my motherly voice. "I'm fine, just a bit sore in some places. I can heal them with waterbending soon enough." I grimaced inwardly at how feeble and weak my voice sounded.

Sokka quivered, still facing away from me. His posture was tightly wound, tensed to a high degree and ready to break at the slightest pressure.

Hakoda didn't look persuaded by my assurances. "Did the Azkai do this to you?"

"And more importantly: what happened?" Aang added.

I didn't like how stressed they sounded. Their voices were all strangled to be kept level, and they all looked on the verge of tears. I wasn't used to being the centre of attention- the one everyone worried about.

I cleaned any sign of weakness off of my face and purified my expression. "Yes, the Azkai did this to me," I started, pushing myself up but gasping as my palms seared. I hurriedly pushed the blankets off of me to see that was wearing nothing but a flimsy white gown and bloodied bandages. I held out my hands, only to discover them to be wrapped in linen stained of blood where the glass and cut me.

Aang leaned over and took my hands into his, placing them firmly at my sides. He looked into my eyes and said, "Katara, you're going to be okay. What happened to you isn't your fault."

I nodded, sliding my fingers out from his. "I know. They just came out of no where, and it was dark and I got lost..."

Hakoda sighed as I trailed off, not wanting to hear memories I had been about to describe. "I'm just so sorry that this has happened to you."

Sokka snapped at that moment, turning around and charging Hakoda. Hakoda and Aang had little time to react, and before I knew what had happened, Hakoda was on the floor and covering his bleeding mouth loosely with his hand. Sokka's fist was poised near his shoulder, in its ending position from the strike. His was red as he screamed, "YOU MONSTER!"

"Sokka!" Aang barked, zipping up to my brother as he was about charge my stunned father again. He twisted in a mid-air flip behind my brother's back and brought his staff around the front of Sokka's throat, cutting off his air-supply with a forceful yank. "You and I need to talk," he growled through his teeth, tugging my brother backwards out through the door harshly.

Hakoda scrambled to his feet, still stumbling awkwardly back towards the wall and hiding his face in his hands. He sagged the front of his body onto the wall, balling his fists and hiding in his arms.

I heard sobs start filling the rooms, and only when I felt my cheeks turn warm and wet, followed by my uncontrollable shaking, did I realize they were my own.

Suiya clasped her hands in front of her face, muttering an apology as she quickly took her leave from the room. I heard Sokka howl in anguish in a far away place, and Hakoda only silently shook were he stood. Sokka's actions had reduced him to nothing.

Hakoda then pulled back, wiping his bloodied lip. His eyes were red and pained, and he walked with an injured grace. "Katara, if you need anything, just call out. Guards are outside your door if the Azkai come for you again. We'll talk later after we get ourselves sorted." He was about to conclude walking through the doorway when he paused in mid-step, turning back towards me and saying, "I didn't mean for this to happen."

I hid my face in my hands as the tears strengthened in their flow, and I sobbed, "Just leave me alone."

After I heard the creak of the door being swung shut I immediately let myself cry as much as I needed. Dreams from my slumber and instances from my horrible past came crashing down inside my mind like a toppled shelf of china, and I couldn't bring myself in the moment to take it any more.

I let myself lean back against the soft, cushioned pillows of my bed, breathing to regulate my sore muscles and focusing on burying surfaced emotions despite my distracting hiccups. I turned away from my room, facing the wall my bed was aligned against and staring at the painted patterns of the moon phases. It was the only thing familiar enough to take comfort in. I wanted nobody's company but silence.

Time passed at such a slow pace that if I didn't notice the dimming grey-light from my open balcony fading into the colours of the sunset, I wouldn't have noticed time was passing at all. My eyes stung with trickling tears, and my breathing wouldn't level out to a consistent cadence.

My mind dozed as my body tried to work out its problems, and I was only interrupted once as I heard a servant walk in quietly and set down a new tray of food.

I shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep, but was shocked to find that the servant pulled the warm blankets around my bare body, tucking me in gently and considerately. My fingers wrapped themselves around the supple cloth in appreciation for the action, and I slowly let my tensed, chilled body relax into my self-created warmth.

There was a moment of silence following the servants kind-hearted token, until I heard a voice say softly, "Katara, you might not hear what I am about to say, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I love you more than anything in the world, and even if Sokka won't let me be with you, just know that you are always in my heart." There was a beat of silence and I tensed.

"I married Suiya so that you could have a mother; so that I could set things right. Though you might not understand it, I do have feelings for her as well." My father let a dawdling beat of silence ensue. "You're just as beautiful as your mother."

I heard rhythmic, pacifying, and familiar steps patter across the floor as Hakoda took his leave. There was a muffled click as he shut the door behind him.

I released any muscular tension I had left inside me, and for the first time in what felt like forever, my tears stopped.

The light behind my eyelids etiolated into a pale, creamy white.

The moon was shining with its radiant beauty once more.

* * *

I sat up straight, my wounds protesting from my sudden movement, and I blinked clear the nightmare that I had just witnessed. The fading face of my dead mother dissipated, and I rolled onto my side, facing my room once more. It was still night, and judging by the angle the moon's rays flowed into my room from my open balcony, the night was half over.

I labouredly scooted myself out of my bed, stumbling onto the cold floor maladroitly. I slowly pulled my torso to proper alignment, wincing now and then as I pulled my dressing gown around my shoulders and began to hobble across my room towards the open terrace. I stood, hunched and crippled with pain, in the moonlight in the wide entrance. My moonstone glowed happily around my neck, and I slowly drew power to my immune system. My legs began to gradually feel less shaky and my breathing steadied out. I pulled my fingers a few times through my hair to smooth it down.

The warm Fire Nation breeze flirted with the thin curtains that glowed a silver sheen in the moon's luminescence. I inclined my head droopingly towards the floor and walked over to the curtains, leaning into them absently and threading the fabric between my trembling fingers. I looked across the room to the other curtains as I buried myself in the fabric, watching as the wind carried the translucent white satin in a floating grace.

The wind pushed aside the curtains out into the sky minutely, but it was enough for me to see the outline of a blue and white mask in the shape of the Blue Spirit, hovering motionlessly amongst the waterfall of cloth.

I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand and pushing backwards deeper into the curtains to conceal my shock and myself.

The curtains wavered back into the place, and when they swayed up towards the sky again, the mask was gone, leaving the curtains empty once more.

I blinked in confusion, leaping forward out of the curtains and pulling the other ones open, running my hands through the layers of cloth and feeling for a familiar warm body, but there was nothing. The curtains were devoid of my saviour

My senses were on high alert, acquitted to the purest degree despite my injuries, and I dashed out to the edge of the balcony, leaning over the railing and scanning the yard for smooth, gliding movements and the flash of bright blue and white mingled into a horrifying face. The leaves in the garden below me whispered against each other and rippled like water in the fluid, quiescent wind. I tuned my sight and hearing to uncover the slightest movement of a passing body, positioned to hear the undulating air around a male figure.

I gave up after several indolent moments of holding perfectly still, and I searched over the balcony railing with my vision for a way down into the garden. I saw chipped into the wall easily climbable structures sculpting the shapes of Dragon heads and mean worshiping the frightening, taloned creatures. They lead down to a thick brush of bushes and trees, but it didn't look too treacherous. It was in a straight line at the balcony side, accessible to anyone with a strong grip and footing.

I adjusted my dressing gown around me until it was tight enough now not to slip off or catch on anything, and I pulled myself over the stone railing and onto the thick, sturdy sculptures pluming out of the walls of the mansion. I focused my vision forward on the opened mouth of the Dragon's head I was gripping onto with all my strength, and I carefully placed my bare feet on the wide-spread palms of a stone Fire Sage below me. I bit my lip and promised myself that no matter how crazy and how dangerous, considering my recent attack, this probably was, I was positive I had seen the Blue Spirit and needed to meet with him. I had so many things I needed to say, and this seemed like a rare opportunity.

I meticulously lowered myself down one step at a time towards the ground. The stars twinkled merrily above my head, and I carefully searched for each finger and foot-hold in the array of sculptures as to not make a mistake. I descended below the canopy of the brush, and when I took my final step down, the sole of my foot was greeted with the moist and warm sensation of soil. I pushed off of the wall and crept between the branches and stems of the trees, coming out of the brush with a silent flourish. The ground below me transition from rolled, sinking earth to hardened stone, and I began to walk carefully down the path towards the heart of the garden.

The trees and flowers looked even more magical at night. With the vibrant colours no longer alive, they were simmering blanched versions of greens, reds, yellows, pinks, blues, and purples. The grass lining the pathway was speckled with crystalline dew, and the deadened smells of the natural garden aroma were heavy in the air. The air itself felt thick, laced with scents and pale light. Combined all together, the garden was enthralling and could easily distract a carefree person.

But I was concentrating on a certain mission at task, and I trained my eyes to look past dazzling beauty for mystical fright in a certain mask.

My toes brushed against softer wood, and I realized that I _had_ been distracted by the garden's pulchritude and was now at the foot of the stairs leading up to the wooden gazebo. I climbed the stairs easily, my body ignoring the dull panging resonating throughout it, and my heart rate quickened as I stood at the gazebo's heart. The wood below me didn't creak, and the air around me swirled in a pulsing vortex, spreading scents of water-tulips and daffodils into my nose.

I smiled in content and looked down at my shadow that was spilling out from my feet as my figure bent the moonlight. But my heartbeats halted and my eyes widened as I saw the outline of a male shadow stretching out a little to my side, the owner directly behind me.

Emanating warmth began to coarse up and down my back, and my neck tingled as I felt an intense pair of eyes bore into my skin. I heaved shaky breaths as quietly as I could manage, and I turned my head to peer over my shoulder, my body slowly following my gazes' lead up a muscled chest covered in dark brown cloth to a painted mask.

The Blue Spirit kept his gaze on me, his posture relaxed, and his head inclined down towards me. His body was so close to mine, just a few mere inches away, and his duo Dao swords gleamed in the light. I struggled to keep my face composed, the scary mask hollering at my instincts for me to run away and hide in my room, shutting away the world behind me using the glass doors to my balcony, but I firmly resisted those feelings.

I let my feet turn below me until I was fully facing him, and let my blue eyes stare right into his black, cavernous ones. I allowed my raised shoulders to sink and my face clean itself of emotion as I took him in for what he was.

He would not hurt me, and I would not be afraid.

Waves of mutual recognition passed between us in the frigid air, and I let him read my expression and eyes as he pleased. If anyone was going to break the still moment, I was determined to make him be the one to do it.

I felt warm, lengthy and gloved fingers entwine in mine, and I sucked in a sharp breath as he took both my hands and lifted them up between us, tearing his unreadable, fixed stare from me to my hands. He scrutinized the bandages they were wrapped in with an almost critical manner, tracing the thin lines of blood gently with his thumbs. He tilted his face back to me questioningly.

Words jammed in my throat as I remembered my will to make him speak, but he only continued to pass in his swift body language a message of confusion and inquiry. A feeling pounded insistently in the back of my mind that told me that he wanted to know if I was okay.

So I opened my mouth, and let myself speak to him an explanation. "The glass from the vases cut my skin," I said, keeping my voice to a whisper for volume. "But I don't feel anything any more."

He nodded, letting my hands fall from his and we returned our hands hastily to our sides.

I twisted my lips, unknowing of whether or not I should speak to him again. But he gestured to the rest of my body, the same eerie feeling of question tensing the air.

"I only have a few bruises, some more cuts, and aching skin," I answered. "They didn't do much to me before you came."

His chest rose and fell once a little more dramatically than it had before, indicating a silent sigh.

"Can you speak?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head, placing two fingers momentarily over my heart then back to his, moving them then quickly up to the grinning mouth of the mask.

I attempted to put the pieces together. _My heart, his heart, mouth... my soul, his soul, his speech... me, him, communication... silence..._

I re-focused my gaze on his face. "You communicate to me through silence?" I guessed, elaborating my basic idea I had received from his clean motions.

He nodded, the mood in the air lightening a little as if he was impressed.

My smile fell. "Why won't you speak to me?"

For a moment his body was a mixture of stiffness and relaxation, as if he was confused, and he then extended his fingers out to me and wrote a few invisible lines, dashes, and curves over my heart. I lifted my fingertips to that area for a moment as he returned his hand to his side, trying to make sense of the shapes he had traced on my clothes. I pictured them in my head like writing on paper. My eyes widened in surprise; writing on paper what exactly what I needed to imagine. He had traced the character that meant "identity" on me.

"You don't want people to know who you really are," I summarized.

He nodded twice, and he stood up a little straighter, bearing a posture of what I assumed was approval.

A small silence ensued as his body language remained unchanged and my mind was turning up blank for new questions. I looked over him once, and the small tear in his suit that was over his ribs snagged my attention. I stared at it with concern, furrowing my eyebrows at the pathetic, messy stitches that had been applied to remedy it with little success.

"Could I fix that tear for you?" I offered, giving him a hopeful look. "I'll do a much better job than whoever attempted at it for you. I owe that much to you."

My heart thudded apprehensively inside my chest while I waited for him to answer me. He quickly looked down at the small tear, then back up to me, heaving his shoulders up and down in a shrug of defeat before nodding.

I smiled as warmly as I could up at him, walking past him to the stairs of the gazebo. "Come on," I coaxed.

He gave a quick glance around the gazebo before following me with lithe steps. I tried not to stiffen as I compared his silent steps to my loud ones. He blended into the still night perfectly, and I only prayed that Sokka or Aang or anyone, for that matter, wouldn't walk out of this moment to find me alone with a mysterious and terrifying Blue Spirit.

I lead him back to the sculptured wall and pointed up at the terrace to my room. "Could you get us both up there?"

He looked up at the balcony then back to me, his posture turning rigid for a second. He didn't answer or move, most likely unsure.

I looked away, feeling silly as I stepped forward into the bushes up to the wall, not bothering to look back to know if he was following me, not looking forward to the climb.

Arms circled my waist and I was suddenly yanked up against his body. The wind whistled in my ears briefly for a moment and I was suddenly standing on the cold stone balcony.

I swayed from surprise and took a moment to steady myself as the Blue Spirit shyly took a few steps back. I blew a stray lock of hair out of my face and forced a grin at him. _Impressive. _When his embarrassed attitude continued I dropped my smile and dashed over to the pile of bags lining the way, digging through until I drew out a bag of needles and thread.

"Here," I began softly, gesturing to my bed. "For the sake of your identity, you can keep it on while I mend it. You'll just have to sit down and hold still."

He gave me a nod, gliding over and setting himself on the edge of my bed, shoulders slightly hunched, looking uncomfortable. I followed and sat next to him, lifting his obedient arm and while threading a needle with the appropriate colour.

He wasn't relaxed while I worked, glancing down to check me intermittently, but remained motionless as I wove the threat expertly at the frayed seams of cloth, stitching together the gap. When it was finally sewn shut, I gave it one last meticulous scan before nodding. His posture calmed and he lowered his arm.

"There, I'm all done," I announced proudly, putting away my needles and thread.

He glanced down, running a few fingers of the small, nearly invisible line.

I folded my hands in my lap and grinned. "I used to be one of the best needle-women back home in the Southern Water Tribe. I could fix anything." I smiled wider. "Sokka still has me fix his pants now and then."

He huffed quickly, probably pantomiming a chuckle.

I let my smile linger as I gazed at the floor, the bags under my eyes suddenly feeling heavy and my alerted awareness dulling dramatically. I shut my eyes in frustration: I was still human, and I was still hurt.

I looked back up at him, grinning softly as I caught him in the act of staring at me. "You can go now if you want," I yawned, and my mind felt fuzzy as I rubbed my eyes.

The Blue Spirit just stared at me motionlessly, undecided of what to make of my statement. I leaned back against the wall, staring at him sadly. I didn't particularly want him to leave, not just yet. I wouldn't hold him hostage here; he was still a free person with a right to free will. But he was the only person I knew of right now that was just sit and listen to me, without yelling at anyone else. The mask always gave off one emotion, and that was dominance and courage.

And he was the only one who truly knew that happened last night.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them, keeping my gaze level with his. I bit my lip as the thought crossed my mind of him leaving again, simply disappearing into the night and past. I didn't want him to leave. He was unlike anyone I had ever known; different in so many ways. So I wanted to keep him different to me, and I wanted him to stay.

My eyes burned with the pressure of tears. I trembled, exhaling, unsure of how to phrase my feelings. Emotions and words couldn't be held together in my exhausted mind.

The Blue Spirit haltingly rose to his feet, stretching up to tower in the moonlight. I quickly felt hopeful. "Will I ever see you again?" I questioned.

He nodded, pointing to him, then to me, then he walked two fingers for a short distance across the air, then gestured towards the phases of the moon paintings.

I took a moment to put everything into place mentally. "You'll come to me... everything night?"

He nodded, placing his right hand over his heart and then over mine, indicating a soulful promise.

I smiled, swaying as another wave of exhaustion hit me again. He held onto my shoulders and steadied me.

"Umpf," I grunted as he attempted to make me stand straight. "I'm fine, I'm just...tired."

He nodded and helped me walk towards my bed, letting me crawl under the covers and lay back, staring at the ceiling as I rubbed my eye again.

In my peripheral vision, I saw him quickly take off through the air rapidly and leap off the balcony, his sword gleaming and his gaze forward.

My eyelids drooped and everything went black.


	7. The Pain of Thorns

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own A: TLA or anything associated with it. **

**This chapter is dedicated to: LaBelled'Italie, EmpressVicky, Densharr, Glasswater, , AnnaAza, mrsharrypotter, InItToWinIt, Muted Trumpet, zutarababe, gh0stwriter, Kafira Dalia, Astrophsysics Rock, ArrayePl, lazyguy90, Pirate Ninjas Of The Abyss, and rock n elemental.

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**7**

The next morning, I was surprised with a bundle of blue Forget-Me-Nots sitting on the floor of the balcony. They were healthy, well-attended to, and matched the color of my eyes perfectly. I picked them up, stroking the soft, delicate petals in joy. There was no note attached on the silk ribbon wrapped around the lime-green stems, so I was momentarily at loss for who had given them to me.

But when I gazed out into the rising sun, I couldn't but remember what had happened last night, and I blushed. I could only imagine Sokka's reaction if he found out that I had been touched by another male, even if it wasn't as intimate like he would automatically assume.

I clutched the Forget-Me-Nots to my chest and remembered the Blue Spirit's promise to come back tonight. When should I expect him? My mind was filled with questions that I could not answer. I wondered if it was really a good idea to keep him from whatever duties he had, and if I was being too clingy. But if I was going to stay in the Fire Nation, I had to have a reason to stay, even if it was having company every night from a stranger.

I still moved around stiffly, but I managed to fill my stomach with the breakfast left for me at the bedside. I was thankful that a basin of hot water had been filled up and left for me against the wall that my bags were lined up on. I washed myself, being conscious of my wounds, and tidied up to make myself look less unfortunate, braiding my hair with the addition of my hair loopies. I dressed up in my normal Water Tribe clothing for the sake of normality, and was about to begin unpacking my bags when someone knocked on my door.

I sighed, dusting off my hands, putting a warm smile on my face, and I opened the door to reveal Aang rocking back and forth on his heals nervously. He looked at me with loose intensity, clasping his hands together behind his back. "You're looking better," he commented, still looking fearful and guilty.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, confused by his appearance.

"Well, Hakoda has been very odd lately, and Suiya has been at the Royal Palace, trying to get a conference with the Fire Lord about what happened to you. Sokka's locked himself in his room and won't come out, and you've recently been attacked by the Fire Nation's biggest problem right now. Other than that, every thing's fine," he summarized, still trembling. "Not to mention that I've been kinda sorta really worried about you."

I bit my lip, feeling a little ashamed that I made Aang say all of those things. "Of course. I'm sorry for asking you," I replied, forcing myself to not look at the floor. "I guess I should go speak to Sokka and try to work things out with him. And I should speak with dad, and..." I paused, revelation dawning on me. "I think I should talk with everyone, in that case."

"I need to speak with you, as well," Aang injected, his expression turning a little frantic and desperate.

I put my hands on his shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze and saying, "Aang, relax. You're really not being yourself. Have you eaten breakfast? Or maybe we should go talk in the garden."

Aang's ears and cheeks tinged with pink, his shoulders tensing up. "I'm fine, Katara. I just need to talk to you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, okay. What is it?"

He massaged the back of his neck gingerly, looking unsure of where to start. "Would you sit down? I- I have a lot to say."

I furrowed my eyebrows, but walked back towards my bed and sat down. I watched Aang cautiously as he paced around the room, wringing his wrists in anxiety. "Katara," he began, ending his pacing for a few moments to give me a heartfelt look. "I haven't seen you in years. The way I left you was unfair of me, and I'm sorry. But the world changed me, and I have changed my view on the world. I am starting to read into people deeper, taking in all the little signs that I would've dismissed before I had met you. Soon, it seemed like everything mattered. And everything stills matters. Just because I ended the war, doesn't mean that everyone loves me for it. The Azkai are an example of this. Everytime I showed my face in public, there was always joy and unrest in people's expressions. I thought that peace would solve all of the problems."

He gulped. "In my first few months here, when I was walking through the streets at night to admire the gardens, I was jumped by a group of men dressed in black with a Fire Lily insignia on their arms. They tried to kill me, but I... I fought them off using the Avatar state." He shut his eyes and turned away from me, hunching his shoulders and clenching his fists.

"They kept on finding ways to attack me. Once they poisoned my food at a ceremonial festival. They tried kidnapping Appa to use him as leverage. One night they even gave me this scar." He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a white, jagged line running across his forearm and extending in many directions. The scar broke his blue tattoo in many places, almost as if the skin had been burned off.

I covered my mouth in horror. Could that have happened to me if the Blue Spirit hadn't come?

Aang's arm quivered as his expression became enraged. The vein in his neck bulged and sweat lined his forehead. "Lightening is far more dangerous when uncontrolled than I am in the Avatar State. Their leader, Sury, has the ability to wield it, but not keep it at her command. She managed to get the information out of me that night of when you and Sokka were coming. She knew that Hakoda had children and had remarried, so she put two and two together so effortlessly she hardly had to do anything at all. All she had to do was throw lightening at my arm and beat me nearly unconscious to get what she wanted." My mind felt leaden at the mention of Sury. Hadn't one of the males called the female by that name? My stomach twisted uncomfortably.

His entire body was shaking now, and the flames inside the oil lamps brightened as his anger deepened. "It's my fault they knew where to find you. It's my fault that they attacked you."

"No it isn't Aang," I defended, still sickened a little from his terrible story. "They made you tell them."

"I could've resisted!" he retorted.

"But they're really powerful!"

"That's the point!" Aang clarified darkly, turning to face me fully. "You are not an Avatar, or a master waterbender. In fact, I know that you have just started your training very recently. There was no way that you could've fought them off single-handedly. Even I can't fight them off alone. And they wouldn't have left you beaten up as a warning. They never make warnings. They make _statements_. How did you escape?"

Any answers I had been forming piled up in my throat at his last sentence. Should I tell Aang about the Blue Spirit? _Could_ I tell Aang about our moments together? I shut my eyes. I wasn't ready to answer any questions about that night. Even if the Blue Spirit had become a new friend as a result of the events that had passed, I was still attacked, paralysed, alone and scared and cold... I didn't want to talk about what had happened. The fear was something I hadn't experienced in the same intensity since my mother was murdered.

"Katara," he growled. "Answer me!"

I looked down at my lap, trying to think of a response. Was the Blue Spirit a normal occurrence around here? I couldn't be so sure. So I decided to re-route Aang away from the subject.

"Aang, you need to calm down," I said, looking him in the eye.

"How could I be calm when I know that you are keeping something from me!" he screamed. "What did they do to you! How did you get away! Why are you hiding something from me!"

I flinched, my eyes moistening and burning with pressure. More screaming. Only this time, it came from Aang. I clenched my knees and tried to remain strong. "Aang, please stop yelling," I begged, stiffening my posture.

"Katara!" he wailed, falling to his knees and bending over, tears falling down his cheeks. He put both balled fists on the floor, refusing to meet my gaze. I rushed over and sat down beside him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Aang, it's okay," I whispered, pulling him close to me. "We're safe here."

He whimpered, pushing me away and standing up. "No, it's not okay. The Azkai will be coming back, I have no way of protecting you, and I don't even know how you got away in the first place!" He buried his face in his hands, struggling to stand straight.

I bit my lip, pondering on how much to tell him. "Aang, I-"

"No!" he snapped, biting back his pain and glowering at me in betrayal. "Just...never mind! I don't want to know if you aren't going to tell me. I mean, why would you tell me anything! You've been keeping secrets since I've met you!"

"Well so have you!" I cried back, finally losing my cool. I stood up, glaring at him and squaring my shoulders. "You kept the Azkai a secret! You kept your past with them a secret! I don't even know everything you did while I was left in the South Pole! And stop bullying me around just because you think this is all your fault!"

Aang trembled, hiding back against the wall as I stood my ground.

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away, crossing my arms in the process. "Just, please leave me alone before we both lose it again."

Aang gulped. "Katara..."

"Just get out," I pleaded through my teeth. "Leave me _now_."

My hair caught in a sharp gust of wind and the door slammed shut. I could no longer feel Aang's presence behind me, and the room felt eerily empty. I opened my eyes and stared at the floor, trying to figure out how to clean up the mess Sokka and I were creating here.

And to do that, I needed to get one of my biggest problems out of the way: My brother.

I turned around and stormed up towards the door, my mind hellbent on the mission at hand. I flung the door open and started down the hallway, knowing that I didn't have a clue where Sokka's room was, or even where he was. But any of the servants randomly scuttling about had to have an idea.

I walked through many hallways, each looking the same, before I finally found a petite lady dusting and straightening wall hangings with brisk movements.

"Excuse me!" I called, closing the distance between us by sprinting. She jumped and ended her work, bowing down before me with a scared look.

"Lady Katara," she managed, cowering below me. "What do you require of me?"

My expression softened at her fright. "Stop bowing. I'm not that important. And I need to know where my brothers room is. I can't navigate this house to save my life."

She looked stunned, but slowly uncurled her posture and shrank back modestly. "I apologize for my actions, Lady-"

"Just Katara," I corrected, annoyed that she would so easily see me as superior to her. Nobody should have to be owned by another person, and I certainly didn't hold more authority than this person. We were all equals.

"Katara," she tested the name on her tongue, as if it was foreign to her to call anyone by a simple title. "Follow me."

I stumbled slightly to catch up with her as she led me across the main stairwell and down a dark corridor. The house was strangely empty except for the occasional maid or butler that cleaned the floor or carried various objects, slumping under the weight. Through the silence I found time to compare the way the servants carried themselves to the stances of the Blue Spirit, as to maybe find out what his role was in this society. I knew that the Blue Spirit walked in a dignified manner, as if he held a lot of authority. These servants were bent towards the ground with trembling fingers. Though they differed in tone, their senses and awareness of the world around them was very much the same. Both looked around for danger, ready to flinch away at the right moment. The Blue Spirit held power, but expected trouble from any disturbance around him. Even if it was just following my lead through the garden's path.

_Yue, what does that mean? _I asked, unsure of what my discovery meant, or what I should make of it.

"Lady- I mean, Katara," the servant announced, correcting herself in the middle. "Your brothers room is at the end of the hallway. I must attend to my duties." She bowed to me again, placing her hands together in a weird symbol across her chest. I assumed it must have been Fire Nation custom, so I mimicked her movements and bowed back to her.

"Thank you," I replied warmly, offering a smile. She kept her eyes down and retraced her steps away from me. I sighed, looking down towards the end of the hallway to see a arched blue doorway with the white imprint of a full moon. Sokka.

I walked hurriedly up to the door, flexing my fingers. I contemplated whether or not I should knock, and what I should even say to him. I hadn't seen him since yesterday, and he might still be angry. I wasn't looking forward to any of the screaming that would most likely ensue. I felt hollow and I suddenly wanted nothing but the calming quiet of the Blue Spirit at my side.

My actions laden with dread, I raised my fist and rapped lightly on the door. I waited several beats for an answer, and when I received none, I turned away and strutted down the hallway, lamenting my cowardice but trying to fix it with excuses.

"He was probably sleeping... He wouldn't want to talk to me, anyhow. I mean, it would just go bad," I promised under my breath. I groaned and stopped, peering back over my shoulder for a last glance at Sokka's door. It looked so lonely in the dimly-lit hallway, and I could just imagine so clearly my hormonal brother balled up on his bed denying the company he knew he craved.

"You've got to be kidding me," I hissed through my teeth and stomped back towards the door, knocking on the thick wood harder this time.

"Sokka!" I called, knocking again. "Open up!"

I heard a familiar grunt come from behind the door. "Go away Suiya!"

I gasped, offended. "It's Katara, dummy! How could you not know your own sisters voice!"

There was a pause, followed my muffled footsteps, and the door opened to reveal my older brother.

My eyes widened in shock: How could it be possible that he should look _worse_ than he had the last time I had seen him? The inky black circles beneath his eyes were now nearly a bruised black, and his skin was paler than before. He hair was sticking up in so many directions, and his clothes were wrinkled and worn. He was slouched out of exhaustion, and his eyes were blood-shot and lined with pink.

"Sokka, what happened to you?" I gasped.

He put whatever strength he still had left into a glare aimed at me. He roughly picked up my hands with trembling, weak fingers and shoved them at my face.

"_This_ happened to me," he growled.

I yanked my hands out of his grip and glowered at him. "Sokka, I need to talk to you without any yelling," I stated, crossing my arms. "This brooding-angry-teenage-boy act needs to end."

He twitched. "Do you not care _at all_ that you got attacked?"

"I care, but what I care even more about is that fact that _you_ are making everyone's lives miserable because of it!" I caught myself and took a deep breath, starting again with a softer volume. "Your behavior is really making me angry because your being selfish. You didn't even stop to let me explain what actually happened that night. Before you start making any rebuttals, hear me out just this once."

His eyes softened, his posture loosening. He scowled. "Fine. Get in here."

He stumbled back into his room, lacking any particular grace he had when not tired. His room was beautiful, with many hours of thought put into the design. His walls were a bright blue, perfectly matching the skies of home. Icebergs were painted into the wallpaper, with little animals poking their heads out of the waters and from behind icicles. One of the icebergs was glowing and spherical, with the faint shape of a cross-legged boy and a sky-bison curled around him. His room had many windows lining the far side, and his bed was made out of ivory colored bones with Water Tribe ornaments dangling off of it. The lights of the room were dimmed, only patchy sunlight acting a guide for my feet. His sheets were ruffled and his belongings were untouched in their bags in the corner. The carpet was thick and soft, and I found it weird to sink slightly with each step I took.

He laid down on his back when he reached his bed, staring up at the ceiling with an unimpressed expression and crossed arms.

"So," he said curtly. "What do you want to lecture me about today? How I'm _overreacting,_ and how is it that you dying isn't such a bad thing after all? Because honestly, I can't stand you sometimes either."

"Sokka-"

"I mean, seriously, you can be a pain in the rear too. What do you think it's like, being an older brother? It sucks! Because every time you get even a scratch I can't help but feel like I've failed mom!"

I raised my eyebrows. "So this is about you, not me?"

He grunted and rolled over.

I sat down at the edge of his bed, folding my hands in my lap. "Sokka, since you are so prone to interrupting me, just tell me what you are feeling."

He tightened his body closer together, running his hands through his hair. "Why would you even care? You never listen."

"I'm listening now."

He growled angrily. "I don't feel like talking."

I snorted. "You're always talking, even sometimes to yourself. Why the change of heart now?" I sighed, turning away and looking at the floor. "The lack of communication got us into this mess anyway."

"That's a new excuse," he injected mordantly.

I ignored his comment continued. "I mean, we hadn't spoken to dad in years and he suddenly tells us that he has gotten remarried, without even telling us to whom, and then we had no clue that Aang would be here, and then we had no idea what the Azkai were or even that they were after me. This whole event was poorly planned."

He snorted, but to me it sounded more like a choked sob. "How could we start over after what happened?"

I looked at him, smiling understandingly. He was sitting up now, staring at me with wide, desperate blue eyes.

"We did it after mom died. In the time of our lives that we had completely lost hope, we somehow stood up again."

Sokka shook his head. "No, Katara, we haven't. _I_ haven't. The pain just lessened; it never went away."

"And the same thing will happen with this," I assured. His eyes twinkled with a spark of hope. "We will never forget this, but we will learn to deal with it." I reached out for a hug, beaming softly. "And we can start now."

I was startled slightly as he rushed into my arms, burying me in his familiar embrace. I smiled as he rested his head in the crook of my neck. He clung onto my tightly, almost like a child that hadn't gotten the affection it had needed for so long.

"I love, Katara," he whimpered brokenly. "I'll work on this with you, I promise. I'll make things better."

Words Gran-Gran had told me resurfaced in my mind, taking me back years ago to the Arctic tundra.

_ "Gran-Gran?" I asked as she kneeled down in front of a wounded penguin-otter. She studied the beast with a motherly eye and rubbed its belly, being careful not to touch the punctured area over its ribs. _

_ "Yes, Katara?" she asked. _

_ "Aren't you going to kill it?" I questioned, eyeing the dagger strapped around her waist. _

_ She shook her head, digging deep in the pouch attached to her sash. She pulled out some ointment and dabbed it gently over the animals wound, not reacting when it cried out in pain. _

_ "Death isn't the only option when dealing with pain," she replied, holding the beast still as the yellow liquid seeped into the blood-stained injury. _

_ "But your hurting it!" I cried, covering my mouth in horror. _

_ She shook head. "The pain is brief." And like magic, the penguin-otter calmed down, grunting a contented noise of relief. _

_ "Whoa," I gasped, my eyes widening in shock. _

_ She nodded, patting the penguin on the back. It stumbled up to its feet and hobbled away clumsily, still being mindful of its injury. _

_ "Sometimes," she said as she watched it disappear into the icy landscape, "you just need to take out the thorn." _

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A/N: **_**So, that was a successful chapter. I hope that it worked for you guys and wasn't too boring. I'm fearful that this is starting to just drabble on and on. Okay, I pinky-promise more action and Zuko-ness in the next chapter. :) Also, I'm becoming interested in what this story would be represented as art-wise. For all those artists out there, it would love it if you made a banner for this story. :D Now, REVIEW! **_


	8. The Safer Victim

**Hiding My Masked Affection  
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spockjasperzukowriting

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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This story is purely for fun and imaginative purposes. **

**This chapter is dedicated to: Densharr, AnnaAza, Momomiya Ichigo Loves Inuyasha, Angel's Kiss 09, lazyguy90, xTheOnlyExceptionx, vinh, Ten Vanishing Circles, Lily-Bakura, edd-ot, GemFreak1, Anti-Social, Another Face, and eleventy7.**

**The motivation for this chapter and story is dedicated to: EmpressVicky, YolandaFriella, redpinkandwhite, Rosegirlz (you're on here for subscribing both to me and the story as well as favoriting both), eleventy7, theFisherman, enticement, and Sapphira. Your reviews were very heartfelt and suggestions for plot were awesome. I feel like I can continue with this story with your motivational words. **

**I temporarily had this story/chapter known as Spies of Sword and Flame, (courtesy of eleventy7), so let me know if you would prefer me to change the name to that. :)**

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8**

The sun warmed my skin comfortingly. Besides the Blue Spirit, the heat was the only good thing about the Fire Nation right now. The rays sliced down through the garden, spilling out like water across the greenery of the plants and the color of the petals. It made everything burst to life, almost as if the yellow light would help the flowers plume out of their buds. I sat in the middle of the gazebo; my only warmth came from a thin patch of sunlight that managed to struggle through the thick brush surrounding it.

I was writing a letter to Gran-Gran – or was trying to. I couldn't find a place to start. My endless cycle of thoughts destroyed any beginning I might write. There was too much in my life to think about. How could I possibly break the news of my attack to the old, caring, sensitive woman, an attack on her grand-daughter by the most feared enemy of the Fire Nation? She'd write back immediately, demanding that Sokka and I come home. All of her trust in her only son would be lost in a few simple words.

I couldn't divide our family again. Not in times as dire as these.

I wanted help but didn't know where to find any. Sokka was asleep in his room, exhausted from panicked hours spent worrying over my health. I doubted that Aang and I would be able to carry on a conversation without yelling at each other again, and I didn't want to see my father. It felt wrong just thinking about him. We were so different, yet so similar. We had the same skin tone and that was it. He was a man of logic and experience; I was a girl yet to understand the world . He was in love; I was not. He had found his perfect place in life; I searched desperately for my own. If anything, Sokka had more in common with him than I did. I didn't match anyone that well in my family. Even in the entire Southern Water Tribe, nobody but myself was a Waterbender.

I gazed longingly at the ink in the jar next to my blank sheet of paper. I slowly raised my hand, curled my fingers and made a pulling motion towards me. The ink twisted out through the small neck of the jar and swirled in the air, wavering unsteadily as I exercised my grip on it. I flexed my wrist and turned it around, spinning the ink in different forms and directions. The ink stretched and compressed, spiraling in the air while under my influence. I tried with my utmost concentration to not let it drip or falter. I focused on the feeling of precision, squeezing the water together to keep it compacted into one thick ribbon. I tuned out the songs of the birds and the sounds of a busy capital outside the mansion's walls. To me, there was nothing but the band of ink and myself. Everything else was meaningless.

"Katara?" whispered a soft, nervous voice. I jumped and the world came rushing back to me. The ink fell from my grip and splattered on the glazed wood of the gazebo and all over my paper. I flinched and stood back, thankful that my dress had not been soiled, and I looked up to find the culprit. It was Suiya, wringing her hands as usual and biting her lip. She eyed the mess I had made. "Sorry," she stammered.

I blinked, still startled.

"It's okay...Suiya," I replied, testing out her name in my voice. It sounded foreign. I was used to blurting 'Gran-Gran' or 'Sokka'. Even 'mom' would sound more normal than her name. "It's my fault. I should have more control."

I bent my knees towards the floor and I straightened my arms and fingers. I lifted myself up again and brought the ink up with me, lifting it from the floor. I imagined the sensation of holding the substance with my mind, like pulling wet cloth from the ground: Damp, likely to drip, but held together with a heavy, binding force. I raised the ink back up and churned it into a thin strip, bending my knees to maneuver it over the jar, holding my breath as I focused with all my might. I slid it back in and let it go, relaxing as the last drop slid into the jar. I stumbled a little bit, feeling the drain on my energy. My muscles felt shaky and I suddenly wanted nothing but to lie down.

I glanced up to see Suiya standing timidly at the base of the steps. "Could I join you?" she asked eventually, taking her time to vocalize her thoughts.

I nodded, straightening my posture and calming my ragged breathing. "Sure."

I plopped down pathetically while she carried herself elegantly to my side, sitting down smoothly with such precise poise that I thought she was mocking me. But she only smiled weakly and folded her hands in her lap. She meant no harm. I was starting to see why my father might've taken an interest in her. He liked a woman that he could protect, yet still rely on for encouragement. Suiya had a burning fire of resilience hidden deep down inside her eyes, yet she was willing to bend easily.

I kept my legs tucked underneath me as I squirmed, the silence nagging at me. But I didn't want to be rude and break it. She was the one who had approached me first. I watched as she sucked in a tight breath and gave me a worried look.

"So, um...you look better," she attempted, wincing.

I looked down at my hands and observed the fading lines of blood. I _was_ healing faster than usual and I had my suspicions about my happily glowing moonstone that was still strung around my neck. It belonged in the company of my mother's betrothal necklace, which I hadn't decided to make into a bracelet. Both were healing tools used to ameliorate me from past attacks. They were almost like yin and yang.

"I guess so," I answered. "I do feel better, which is a good thing."

Suiya nodded, trying to look happy and involved.

"Oh, yes. That's great. Hakoda would be glad to know that you're doing better." As she mentioned my father, my breathing hitched. I looked away as my smile faltered.

"I should talk to him...shouldn't I?" I asked reluctantly, guilt contorting my face.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Suiya shake her head.

"You don't have to if you – well, you know – don't want to. I mean, he'll understand."

I nodded with comprehension , my expression softening.

"Suiya, what did you want to tell me?" I asked, knowing that she was hiding something.

She sighed, resisting the urge to slouch her shoulders.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. For everything." Her eyes moistened. "I wanted this to be a happy visit. One that you'll remember and smile about when you're older. But now you'll probably try to forget you ever came here." She bowed her head, casting her gaze downwards. "I'll understand if you hate me."

My chest squeezed. "Suiya, I don't hate anyone." _Maybe the Azkai?_ "This isn't anyone's fault but the Azkai's. Not one of you are to blame. Especially not you. How could you have possibly prevented the attack?"

"I could have not married your father," she whispered and looked out into the garden. "I could have warned you earlier. You had a right to know."

"You can't change the past," I lectured.

"But I can try to make the future better," she replied, brushing away unwept tears.

I raised an eyebrow.

"How?" I questioned.

"You _do_ know that my family has power in the government, right?" she reminded me. "I can go into a hearing with the Fire Lord himself and arrange meetings with anyone I want. Our government needs to do something about the Azkai, but to them it's just a rumor. They have no idea about the very real danger this group poses. They keep their secrecy by threats and violence. Those who are cowards dare not speak out against them, and those who are heroes do so and die. This gang scars people for life."

I thought back to Aang's scar running down his arm and shivered. I wondered what would've happened to me if the Blue Spirit hadn't come.

"What are you suggesting?" I asked, trying to follow the path she was leading me down.

"I'm suggesting that I take you to the Fire Lord's palace right now. I'm asking if you will stand in front of our leader and tell him exactly what happened to you that night. Every detail, with no omissions." I winced. That would mean revealing the Blue Spirit. "You will tell him what this group has done to you and show him your wounds. He would believe you. Our new Fire Lord is a good man who doesn't act without evidence. You have perfect evidence." Her eyes pinned me down as she awaited my response.

I tried to gulp air through my tight throat and my palms felt damp with perspiration. "Why...why can't Aang do it?"

"Aang has…trouble…admitting that he's been hurt. He feels it makes him look weak and people would doubt his strength and protection. In a time of uneasy peace, people must retain their hope and trust in the Avatar. The three nations are united through common faith in him. You, however, could tell him without risking the destruction of peace," she explained. I trembled and stared at the floor, my emotions on edge. She had a valid argument but I didn't know if I could reveal the Blue Spirit. Maybe I could say that they made an exception to their usual ways…that they wanted to make a warning and not a statement. My fingers felt cold and my bottom lip quivered. Suiya sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry about making you remember whatever horrible things they did to you, but this is the only way it can be stopped. If it helps, you won't be alone. We'll bring along Sokka and if you want, Aang. We could even bring along Hakoda. I don't want you to feel more uncomfortable than you would ever need to." I avoided meeting her eyes as she pleaded with me. "Please, Katara, I can make it happen, but I need your permission and involvement. I want to protect future victims. I want to protect you. You just need to let me do this for you."

I shut my eyes and shook my head.

"I need time to think," I answered, opening my eyes and unsteadily meeting her gaze for a moment. "I – I don't even like to _think _about what they did."

Suiya nodded, chewing her lip. "Okay. I'll be inside while you make your decision. Just please consider my offer. It would really make a difference." She stood up and left without a second glance, making her way through the garden with her usual graceful stride and disappearing into the house.

I mulled over what she had said. She was right. It would benefit the world if I _did_ expose the Fire Lord to the cruelties going on in his nation. It would relieve the weight dragging down my mind and if Aang were to listen to my account, it would fill up the gulf currently between us. He would know what happened, and I would no longer have to keep things from him. But that was also the downside. Everyone would know about my being rescued by the man I didn't even know. The Blue Spirit. They would doubt my sanity and ability to recognize what is bad and good for me. I had no idea who he was. But he made me feel better about the event. He reminded me that I wasn't dreaming. He assured me just by breathing that someone was on my side. Without him, I would be held captive, numb and alone, in some remote and unknown place – or worse yet, dead. I couldn't even think about the fate I may have suffered.

And I wasn't ready to leave behind all that I held dear; additionally, that list of people special to me was beginning to include the Blue Spirit.

I didn't even know why I was being this defensive about him. If anything, I should be scared of him. He could be a psychopath. He could be a criminal. Or worse, he could even be working for the Azkai.

I shook my head. I refused to believe that he, above all people, would hurt me. He just wouldn't. He had been so gentle when carrying me from the scene of the attack, as though he thought the merest touch might make me shatter. He was willing to help me understand him, he was always so patient when he listened to me and he always looked at me with an almost kind (but otherwise unreadable) gaze. He would never harm me, and the more I thought about him, the more human he seemed to become. The slight tremble whenever he held my hands, the reluctance in letting me assist him, the awkward moment before carrying me up to my room: all seemed like signs of a normal young male adult, maybe even a teenager.

But they had never met him. They wouldn't know these small details. Like a normal family, they would automatically assume the worse.

I sat there for a few more moments, trying to mingle the two arguments roaring in my mind. I finally came to a conclusion: I would tell my story to the Fire Lord, but leave out the Blue Spirit.

But my mind stumbled over another obstacle, a difficult question that Aang had already asked me. I had been unable to answer it then and I doubted my ability to answer it now. How could I have escaped on my own? Even Aang had trouble defeating them, and he was the master of all four elements _and_ he had access to the Avatar State. I had the fighting skills of a pillow. And despite being a waterbender, I had proved to myself that I couldn't even manipulate a jar of ink without exhausting myself. I would never have been able to bend given how terrified I had been.

I held my head in my hands as I struggled to think clearly. I couldn't _lie_ in front of the Fire Lord himself. It would only make things worse with Aang. Suiya would have taken me to the palace in vain.

My chest was uncomfortably tight and my throat was starting to ache. I couldn't pull this off. I would have to tell the truth in its pure, untainted entirety.

_ I'm sorry, Spirit..._

I stood up and wavered slightly before regaining my balance. I trembled as I walked across the gazebo and out through the garden. The sun was beginning to sink through the clouds and begin its short journey to the west, making me quicken my pace. The Blue Spirit would come only at night, so I had to be back before the moon reached its highest peak.

I climbed the stairs of the porch and dragged my feet begrudgingly against the varnished wood. My stomach felt ten pounds heavier than it had before, and my throat felt swollen. There was no other way out of it.

I pushed open metal framed doors and uneasily walked into the mansion. The house glowed in a red aura, somehow looking more like sunset than midday. I walked past theater masks, ancient weapons, and pictures of Fire Nation officials that I couldn't name. I kept my eyes downcast, circles of pain and lead-heavy pressure throbbing from underneath them.

I twisted clumsily into the room where Suiya was sitting behind a mahagony desk, studying a crème colored paper etched with the gentle curves of Fire Nation script. She looked up at me and blinked in surprise at my appearance.

"Katara? Are you okay? Do you feel ill?" she asked, rising slightly and widening her eyes in concern.

"Get Sokka, dad and Aang," I stated with clipped words. "I need to see the Fire Lord."

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A/N: Sorry for not updating for so long. I've been so busy, tired, stressed, and tormented with writer's block. I had to wrap this chapter up quickly so it lead into chapter nine, but I promise Zuko will make is grand and memorable appearance in the next chapter. I know some of y'all have been missing him thoroughly. I have too, but chapter nine will have better timing for his introduction. Till then, enjoy the wonderful days ahead!_


	9. The Fire Lord, Part One

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This story is purely for fun and imaginative purposes. **

**This chapter is dedicated to: Arashi Maxwell, varjak, AnnaAza, izzybizzy333, Hiya120, Sisters-from-hell, Moon Mage Goddess, ccbloom7, CrimsonAngel1992, Swallow in the Cloud, loquacious gabby, Momomiya Ichigo Loves Inuyasha , badonyx, eleventy7, BB, Rei, Muted Trumpet, Lady, Pirate Ninjas of the Abyss, GemFreak, LoveLikeCrazy, animalvr11, theTIGEER, Kitten123130, Evelyn56, kazster, Cheminee Martinet, MakeMeProud, more-of-a-reader, Winnidonna Garage, Anti-Social, Lady Kazonei, elvenprincess3212003, Heaven's Demise, Madi, enticement, Densharr, YolandaFriella, Issa, Jeruselum, and ****RagnarokZ****. You all rock!

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**9- **_**Part One**_

"I've sent out a request for a hearing with the Fire Lord," Suiya explained while servants busily combed my hair into a bun. I shook my head at them as they were about to pull my hair loopies into the gathering of hair and they nodded understandingly, evening out the tresses and fastening them into the base of the bun with pearled clips.

"Did they answer yet?" I asked, trying to keep my face straight and my voice level. I looked in the mirror and met Suiya's bright purple eyes. She was sitting on my bed, her hands folded in her lap. She was dressed in layered red and white fabrics, the garb of a government official. I was allowed to dress in a formal Water Tribe dress edged with white fur and embroidered with deep blue satin. My moonstone hung down the center of my chest. The strong white glow had faded into a sickening gray. My stomach turned flips; a constant reminder of how far from calm I actually was.

"They don't need to answer," Suiya said, standing up and walking over to the wall; she needed something to occupy her restless gaze. "The government has passed a new law: all requests for hearings from important government officials are granted immediately. That way, issues are solved more quickly without the delay of paperwork and slow-minded secretaries. We make an appearance and then they tell us when to return. Fortunately for us, I stressed the urgency of this meeting. Thanks to my father's stature, I'm sure we can be put through for this afternoon."

I glanced back at the porch, my hair standing on end every time a strong breeze pulled the curtains out to the sky. I averted my gaze to the floor, muttering to myself, "He isn't there. Get a grip."

"Katara, our Fire Lord doesn't bite. What are you nervous about?" Suiya asked, trying to lighten the mood. I crossed my arms, fighting past the heavy sleeves of the dress for steady balance. It was too obvious to me that this dress was made in the Northern Water Tribe: the seams were in the wrong places, the stitch-work done in moon-shaped loops instead of flowing rivers and the dyes were richer.

I gulped, trying to think up a believable lie. "I'm worried about whether or not they will believe me. About whether or not I'll be able to truly look them in the eye and tell them that there has been an attempt on my life."

Suiya turned around, her eyes shining with realization. "You're doing nothing but confirming what has been thrown in their faces for months. Our government stops at nothing to dismiss problems that would jeopardize their power. But my entire family believes that by not acting, they are only making the problems worse."

I clenched my fists. "Is that all I am to them?" I hissed. "A piece of evidence?"

She blinked, taken off guard. "Not at all. I apologize if my wording was offensive. I meant to say that you'll be a representative. A safe one, at that. The more the Fire Lord knows about the Azkai, the safer the next victim will become."

My throat felt sore. The Fire Nation was becoming less pleasant by the second.

A knock sounded at the door. "Katara?" I heard Sokka ask. I heaved a sigh, relieved to hear that his voice was back to normal. All underlying tones of anger were gone.

The servants finished off the sash around my waist and walked up to the door, opening it to reveal Sokka in his regular attire and an annoyed look on his face. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What's the big occasion?"

I knitted my brow. "You don't know?" I questioned.

"Hey, I was just woken up five minutes ago by a servant telling me to get dressed and come over here. I haven't got a clue why you look like you're about to get married," he said guilelessly.

I opened my mouth to explain, but Suiya started before me. "We're going to a hearing before the Fire Lord. Katara wants to say what happened between her and the Azkai so future attacks can be stopped," she summarized.

Sokka's bright eyes widened. "Fire Lord Zuko? You mean the angry guy with the scar? You're kidding me."

My stomach leaped up into my throat. I had completely forgotten exactly who _was_ Fire Lord. "I guess so," I answered weakly, my heart sinking painfully. My memories of Zuko weren't exactly happy. He was the one who had taken Aang away from me for _two and half years._ Now he was Fire Lord?

Sokka harrumphed, folding his arms and allowing a brief silence to elapse as he considered things. He looked so much like our father for a few brief moments. "Do you want me to come?" he asked.

"I want you all to come," I clarified. "I'm dressed up so that I don't look like a pathetic peasant. The Fire Lord needs to know that a foreign person of high stature has been assaulted by his own country. It'll strengthen the impact of my statement."

"When you say 'all,' you mean Suiya, Hakoda, Aang and myself, right?"

"Correct."

Sokka squirmed. "Katara-"

"You all have a right to know, Sokka," I snapped. "If I'm going to explain what happened to me, I want everyone to be there to hear me out. Every single one of you. It's the only thing that'll bring our family back together."

He narrowed his eyes. "Right. Family. Because we're all _completely_ related."

"To me we are!" I retorted, my temper rising. "Get over yourself Sokka! Not everything is about you. For once, just listen to me and try to be optimistic."

Sokka blinked, stunned by my anger.

I shut my eyes and looked away. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just... I want something to work out for once. I want you to try with me."

I felt his hand on my shoulder and his presence in front of me. I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me sadly. "For your sake, I'll come. If it means I'll get my life back, I'll always be at your side."

I grinned and pulled him into a hug; to my joy he did not stiffen against the embrace. "Thanks, Sokka," I whispered, feeling temporarily at ease as we held each other.

Somebody cleared their throat and there was a curt knock on the frame of the door. I opened my eyes and peered over Sokka's shoulder: Aang was standing in the doorway, his staff in hand and a shy look on his face. He glanced up at us through his eyelashes and forced a weak smile.

"Hi, Katara..." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. I pulled away from Sokka and smiled.

"Hi, Aang."

Sokka looked between us as he raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you guys? I thought you'd be calling for a group hug!"

Aang drew his staff closer, averting his gaze to the floor.

I sighed but tried to keep a smile on my face. "I think we'd better get going. I'd like to get this over with."

Suiya nodded. "I told Hakoda and Aang what's going to happen. Your father will be back with a carriage to take us to the palace. I expect we should be able to return later this afternoon."

Aang stood away and kept the doorway clear, letting us walk out ahead of him. He stopped me as I followed my brother, giving me a pleading look. I paused, trying to soften my nervous expression as Aang looked away from me.

He gulped, sighing and closing his eyes. "I'm sorry for this morning," he stated, folding his arms and looking away. "I shouldn't have gotten angry. If I had known that you would be speaking to the Fire Lord later this day, I –" He broke off, grimacing. "That still doesn't excuse what I did. Please forgive me."

He looked me in the eyes, his irises gleaming in the paper-filtered light. "I should have tried to console you. I meant to do that. I wanted you to know that I understand exactly how you felt. How they take away your bending and strength in a single pinch. How they hurt you. I don't know how you got away, but I'm glad you did." He clenched the wooden staff wedged between his arms. "I wouldn't be able to handle it if they killed you."

I folded my hands behind my back and offered him a grin. "It's okay, Aang. I forgive you. I wanted to go to the Fire Lord to make up for this morning."

He kept his gaze pinned on the floor, a depressed look on his face. The thought crossed my mind that I no longer had to look down at him; growth spurts had evened out our heights. And knowing that we had suffered through same experience made us even more equal, in my mind.

I reached out and took his hand, making him flinch and look at me in shock. I beamed. "Suiya will be waiting for us." I squeezed his fingers. "Lead the way."

A spark ignited in his eyes and he grinned, curling his lips in the way I had grown so familiar with since that day in the South Pole. He tugged on my hand and led us down the hallways, walking me down the main stairwell and out into the garden. He released my hand the moment the sunlight hit us.

Hakoda smiled at us from the base of the porch steps. He gave me a grin that I thought only Sokka could muster.

"So, I hear that we're going to meet Fire Lord Zuko," he started, his eyes flashing. He acted like nothing had happened the last few days but I knew better. Sokka acted like this whenever he was inexplicably nervous.

My stomach flipped. "Yep. Fun times. I can't wait to see him again," I said, walking down to my father as Aang trailed me protectively.

Hakoda gave me a puzzled look. "You've met him before?"

"He kidnapped Aang from the Southern Water Tribe and threatened out lives. How could I ever forget?" I replied sarcastically, trying to lighten my own mood with humor.

I heard Hakoda huff behind me. "Ah, well, he's changed since his Avatar-hunting days. He's a very good Fire Lord; I appreciate his rule much better than I appreciated his father's, Fire Lord Ozai."

Sokka opened the gate for us and rolled his eyes. "Dad, I think _anyone_ could do a better job at ruling the Fire Nation than that lunatic."

My heart squeezed. Sokka had called Hakoda 'dad.'

Hakoda chuckled. "Of course."

I shivered as I exited the protection of the walls, crossing my arms and inclining my head. I couldn't help but allow my gaze to drift down the street I had taken several nights before. A sliver of blue flashed in the corner of my eye, twisting in the soft breeze. I stopped, turning my head and blinking. Had I just seen my ribbon? I stared at the place that I had seen it, analyzing every section of the scene. Nothing.

A shadow caught my attention and I took a step forward, squinting through the reflected light of the street. I shook my head; my eyes must be playing tricks on me. Of course I hadn't seen the outline of that demonic woman. That was shadow, not hair. This was day, not night. Nothing was there; as if reflecting this thought, my chest felt hollow. I needed...

There was a sharp jab against my back.

I started, yelping and turning around as I raised my hands. My pulse raced in my ears and warmth drained from my hands and feet.

"Katara?" asked Sokka, giving me a confused look. "Are you... all right?"

I straightened up, putting my hands by my side while trying to coax a weak smile across my face. "Oh yes. Just fine. Let's go."

I pushed past him and hopped into the carriage, tripping over my own feet slightly as I ascended the steps. Aang scooted over and made room for me, offering a hand as I hovered unsteadily.

I sat down without his help, hiding my face in my hands. The carriage rocked as Sokka added his weight to it and the blinding sunlight seeping through my fingers disappeared as the door shut.

An uneasy silence descended as the carriage jerked into motion, easing forward and picking up speed. I rubbed my temples, trying to soothe away a headache. What had just happened? Why was I seeing things?

The carriage bumped over a small stone as Hakoda cleared his throat. I looked up at my father through my eyelashes, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

He looked apprehensive. "I expect you all to be on your best behaviour. Despite any prejudices you might have against the Fire Nation, you're still going to be present in front of the government. If you want the Fire Lord to listen to you, you'll have to practice your finest etiquette."

Aang nodded, glancing between Sokka and I.

"Just follow my lead, but you should know that when you bow, the Fire Nation salute goes like this." Hakoda upturned his right fist and placed it at the heel of his flattened left hand, leaning forward in a bow. I mimicked his movements, happy for a distraction from my whirlwind of thoughts.

Sokka twiddled his thumbs, a nervous habit he had, as he sat next to our father. He was ill at ease next to the person he used to worship daily. "I thought we would only meet with Fire Lord Zuko himself."

Suiya nodded, shifting on the other side of Aang. "We will. The Fire Lord has the final say in all political matters, so Katara will just need to explain the Azkai to him and him alone."

My stomach tightened. _I hoped Zuko would be alone..._

Aang peered down at my folded hands, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "You're shaking."

"What?" I gasped, lifting my arms to study my fingers more closely. He was right: I was quivering with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I hid my hands in my sleeves, turning away to hide my frightened expression. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Katara, you're terrified," Aang pointed out, shocked.

"Of course she is. She's facing the most powerful man in the Fire Nation with only _us_ as back up," Sokka rolled his eyes, using his hands to emphasize his point.

I glared at him. "Thanks, Sokka. You made me feel so much better," I replied mordantly.

"You're welcome."

Aang sighed. "Let's not make her feel worse than she already does. Besides, in my memory, _she_ was attacked, not any of _you.____"_

Sokka snorted. "I've seen plenty of attacks in my life, thank you very much. And for your information, Katara – "

I parted the curtain over the window and stuck my head out, trying desperately to ignore the painful comments being thrown around me. The escalating tension in the carriage was suffocating me, making my skin crawl and causing me to shake more painfully than I already was. I stared at the street ahead, trying to inhale the fresh breeze and occupy my mind with the busy streets of the Fire Nation.

Slowly, the lurching of the carriage lulled me into the rhythm of the ocean. Seagulls flew overhead, reminding me of home and what I had left to defend. The summer breeze played with my hair, tugging it out into the sky.

_ Finally,_ I thought, sinking into a sleepy and peaceful state of mind. _A moment to myself._

I closed my eyes and sighed, letting my senses drift away from the chaos my family was slowly descending into.

I listened instead to the sounds of the capital. Young children played in the streets, laughing and crying out in joy as a ball bounced around. Elders discussed politics while teenagers giggled about crushes and clothes and whose father had the most money. It was soothing to discover the ordinary lives of the Fire Nation people. For so long, I had imagined the occupants as heartless beasts. I was wrong.

They were just...people.

I rested my head upon my crossed arms, lulled by the activity of the outside world.

Suddenly, there was a sharp scraping of metal. My ear twitched, pricked into unease by the noise. I ignored it, assuming that it must have been a malfunction of the carriage.

The carriage rounded a corner, bumping above the support of the street.

The noise came again. This time, it was stronger and more clearer than I had ever imagined it could be. The scraping was almost like a drawn-out rasp, much like how Sokka's sword sounded when it was unsheathed for the first time.

My mind halted, my breath catching in my throat as my eyes flew open.

A sword.

Being unsheathed.

Next to me.

I looked up, my eyes darting around as I searched for the source. I saw nothing but the peaceful lives of those in the Fire Nation capital.

I stared along the side of the carriage once more, trying to pull myself back into my serene state. Anything to push away my inner turmoil.

Suddenly, there was a long gleam that caught my eye; it flowed along the bodies of two swords headed towards me. I jerked back, following the swords up the hilt, across the covered hands and arms and finally arriving at the Blue Spirit's mask. The familiar, hollow gaze pierced me as I jerked backwards, screaming as he jumped towards me. The edges of his figure wavered in the incandescent light. I pulled back into the carriage, wrenching the curtain shut to cover the window.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" I screamed, shaking uncontrollably as fear engulfed me.

"Stop the carriage!" Hakoda yelled at the driver through the window behind him.

"Katara, what happened?" Aang demanded, trying to hold me still. His fingers wound around my shoulders as I struggled.

"Let go!" I snapped, worming myself free of his grip and pushing my way out the door. I stumbled onto the ground, the world tumbling and spinning along with my thoughts. I collapsed to my knees, planting my palms on the ground as my mentality slowly deteriorated. Sounds turned into distant slurs, light tumbled into a kaleidoscope of colours and every nerve rejected the sensations running up my arms. I shut my eyes, demanding that it all go away. I was shrinking, compressing; everything was flattening me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't fight. My insides were being twisted, stretching and colliding against the barriers of my mind.

The shaking wouldn't stop.

_ I'm dying, _I conceded. _This is the end..._

Then it stopped. The pain stopped. The world snapped back like elastic. Things started to make _sense. _My sight sharpened, defining the lines of shapes and precision colours. Sounds registered into memories, thoughts. Someone was at my side, eyes were upon me and a voice was calling my name.

"Katara! Oh gods, Katara!" A hand shook me.

I blinked, sucking in ragged breaths and restoring my body.

"Sokka..." I breathed, sitting back on my legs. My body no longer felt so cold; a heat from above warmed me. I used one hand to rub the adjacent upper arm, taking a moment to recognize my surroundings. I was next to a fountain in the center of a circular plaza. People dressed in the Fire Nation colours stared at me, puzzled looks defining their expressions. The fountain trickled with clear water. Gardens framed the outside edges of mansion walls; plants sprouted from ornamental pots. Some of the pots were mended, like they had recently cracked and glued together.

I was at my attack site.

I looked over at Sokka. His blue eyes were wide and scared.

"Now I know you're definitely not right," he said. "This is over. We're going home."

"This is the place," I whispered, my voice weak. I felt like I hadn't used it for months. Most of my body still felt numb, hindered by my inability to move yet.

Sokka snorted. "Yeah, c'mon. This is the place we turn around."

I shook my head, my brow furrowing. "No, Sokka. You're not getting it." I pushed myself up, using his shoulder for support. He grasped my arm gently, offering me assistance.

"This is the place where the Azkai attacked me," I said bluntly.

Sokka's quickened breathing slowed. "Have you lost it?"

"I believe her," answered Suiya from behind me. I peered over my shoulder to meet her gaze, watching as she swallowed and spoke. "This is the Ye Wan Fountain. The night fountain. Waterbenders draw their strength from the moon, a symbol of the night. The Azkai have always attacked at a place symbolic to the victim."

Aang walked up from behind Suiya, nodding. "They attacked me at the Southern Markets. I'm from the Southern Air Temple," he explained.

I sighed, turning back to face the fountain. The water glistened, reflecting dapples of light at me. I ran my fingers through my hair and sank back down to my knees.

"What's happening to me?" I choked out.

Sokka placed a hand upon my back. "You had an anxiety attack. You're too nervous to be doing this now."

My hands fell limply to my lap. "I can't do this," I despaired; just a few moments ago, I had been so close to losing my mind.

"Yes, you can," Aang said as he sat by my side. "I know you're capable of doing this."

I ignored both Aang and my brother, immersing my thoughts in the calm shifting of the wind. Small laughter bubbled ahead of me. I looked up, the wind lifting strands of my hair around my head. A petite child was balancing on the edge of the fountain, wobbling and laughing as her mother smiled at her. The child leapt a short distance and stopped in the exact place I had first seen the Blue Spirit.

"Catch me, mommy!" the girl squealed.

The mother held out her arms, laughing as the child jumped from the fountain and landed safely in her grasp.

My eyes watered. I shut them and thought back to a few moments alone with Gran-Gran…

_ Sokka was away hunting, teaching younger boys the art of the boomerang. The aroma of meat and stew was filling my nose and the blue iridescence of the snow was glowing beneath my feet. I looked up from my sewing, smiling as Gran-Gran cut up a small polar-mouse. _

_ "Gran-Gran?" I asked. _

_ "Yes, Katara?"_

_ "Hui was bullied again today. I wanted to help, but I was busy fixing Sokka's boots. I was too distracted by the bully to do my job properly; mending Sokka's boots took an hour longer than it should have. But even worse" – I hung my head in shame – "I didn't do anything to help Hui. I could see she was hurt by Ela's insults but I just kept trying to do my chores. I feel like I've let everyone down."_

_ Gran-Gran gave me one of her kind smiles. "Often in life you will find yourself caught between helping yourself or helping others, Katara," she began, throwing small chunks of meat into the pot over the fire. "When we are caught between hard choices and cannot dedicate ourselves to a single action, it has poisonous toll on everyone – especially ourselves. When we fail to act and help someone, we are making ourselves suffer too."_

_ She reached into a pocket, pulling out a whalebone hair clip. She kept her eyes locked on me while I stared at it in awe. "This was your mother's when she was your age. It holds many memories and feelings inside it. Every time I look at it, I am reminded of the woman who was so much like a daughter to me. I understand how much we both miss her." She extended it out to me. "Here, take it. I want you to have it."_

_ I took it slowly, studying the blue stones set in the pearl-white of the whalebone. I glanced back up at her. "Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, reaching back to place in it my hair._

_ She studied it briefly as it gathered my dark hair, smiling in approval after a brief pause. "Do you not feel at ease of having something of your mothers?" she asked._

_ I thought for a moment before nodding._

_ "Well, I feel at ease because you look very much like her. The hair clip emphasizes the similarities between mother and daughter. Even if it's a hard choice, it makes me happy to see Kya so clearly in you. By helping you feel closer to your mother, I have helped myself in realizing that Kya has never truly left us."_

The memory left me. I was back sitting between Aang and Sokka, gazing longingly at the mother and daughter playing by the fountain.

"By helping others," I whispered, "you help yourself."

_ The more the Fire Lord knows about the Azkai,_ Suiya had explained,_ the safer the next victim will be._

I had to do this. There was no other way.

"Help me up," I said. Sokka and Aang each took a hand and pulled me to my feet.

"Feeling better?" Sokka asked. "Are you going to freak out on us again? Because that was just weird."

I hardened my expression, concentrating on what I had to do.

"I'm ready to face the Fire Lord," I said. "I'm ready to face him _now."_

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A/N: I know. I know. There was no Zuko. I'm dividing this chapter into two parts, and part two will have Zuko. So I'm **_**still**_** technically living up to my promise to have Zuko is chapter 9. Hehe. Sorta. No flames. Please review! **


	10. The Fire Lord, Part Two

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This story is purely for fun and imaginative purposes. **

**This chapter is dedicated to: Arashi Maxwell, varjak, AnnaAza, izzybizzy333, Hiya120, Sisters-from-hell, Moon Mage Goddess, ccbloom7, CrimsonAngel1992, Swallow in the Cloud, loquacious gabby, Momomiya Ichigo Loves Inuyasha , badonyx, eleventy7, BB, Rei, Muted Trumpet, Lady, Pirate Ninjas of the Abyss, GemFreak, LoveLikeCrazy, animalvr11, theTIGEER, Kitten123130, Evelyn56, kazster, Cheminee Martinet, MakeMeProud, more-of-a-reader, Winnidonna Garage, Anti-Social, Lady Kazonei, elvenprincess3212003, Heaven's Demise, Madi, enticement, Densharr, YolandaFriella, Issa, Jeruselum, and RagnarokZ. You all rock!**

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**9- **_**Part Two**_

I kept my head inside the carriage as we resumed our journey, my hallucination still vivid in my mind. It made me nervous, this memory of him coming at me, the desire to attack deep within his eyes. My anxiety didn't leave completely, but it eased slowly as a comfortably silence drifted across the carriage. Nobody looked at each other. With tension still sparking between everyone, I was afraid of setting the silence afire.

My stomach didn't stop twisting painfully. The icy edginess in my nerves never left me but my mind was clear. My goal was set. There was no turning back now.

Aang continued to glance nervously at me, as if expecting me to have another attack. My heart sank in guilt as I realized the worry I had caused him. But part of my mind pointed out to me that this was a heavenly reminder that they cared enough to be anxious.

Sokka stole peeps out the window as the sounds of the city morphed quickly into the noises of metal and the gruff baritones of soldiers shouting out orders.

"We're nearing the palace," Sokka announced, shattering the carefully constructed silence inside the carriage. I squirmed in my seat as the image of Zuko, two years ago, flashed across my eyes. The left side of my face tingled as I remembered the ridged, rough scar marring his pale skin. It was hard to imagine him as anything but an angry, confused teenager.

Suiya painted a smile on her face and sat up straighter. "We'll be escorted to the waiting room," she explained. "We'll wait until they send someone to fetch us. There, we'll be introduced to the Fire Lord and Katara will tell her story."

I didn't like to think of my explanation as a 'story.' The word 'story' implied something that had never happened. It _did_ happen. I could remember it as if it had occurred only five seconds ago.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sensation of trembling fingers entwining in mine. I looked over at Aang, who was clutching my hand anxiously.

"You'll be all right," he promised, but it sounded as if he was trying to lift his own spirits more than mine.

I smiled at him softly and unwound my fingers from his. "Aang, it's just Zuko," I reassured him. "Not the end of the world."

Hakoda cleared his throat, gathering our attention towards him. "Out of respect, I expect you all to refer to Zuko as Fire Lord Zuko. It is common courtesy – in any throne room, in any nation – to refer to your superiors and equals by official titles. Aang is Avatar Aang. Katara, the Fire Lord will address you as Lady Katara," he explained, leveling our gazes to ensure the information sunk in.

I nodded. So far, I had been referred to as Lady Katara by anyone who didn't know me. Why would that change? The end of my lips tugged into a half-grin. Part of me liked the title. It made me sound more important than I felt.

Hakoda gestured to Suiya. "Suiya will be known as either Lady Suiya or Senator. Both will be sufficient to address her stature. I am Chief Hakoda, and Sokka –" He paused and turned to my brother. Sokka puffed out his chest with pride and awaited what he assumed to be his grand title.

" – it's best if you don't speak at all until the meeting is over," our father finished. Aang and I had to cover our mouths to keep from giggling as Sokka gave our father an exasperated look.

The carriage slowed to a stop, followed by dozens of footsteps echoing around us. A masculine voice addressed the carriage driver.

"Whom do you bring?"

"I bring Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe and Senator Suiya of the Fire Nation. We're on an urgent mission to see the Fire Lord," the driver replied automatically, almost as if he had rehearsed the speech. The soldier sighed.

"The Fire Lord is busy. Ambassadors from the Earth Nation have arrived a day early and he won't be available till later tomorrow."

My gut clenched. Tomorrow? I couldn't wait that long! I leaned forwards and held my head in my hands, waiting for the quivering to stop. I had to keep reminding myself that we had recently ended a century-long war.

The driver's words were caught in his throat. He had no idea what to say. We had never believed we would be delayed.

Aang sighed, rolling his eyes. "Palace security here never improves," he groaned before getting up, walking past me and jumping out the door. He closed the door behind him, allowing the carriage to be lit only by the thin light filtering through the paper.

The soldier gasped. "Avatar Aang! I didn't know– "

" – Oh, it's okay," Aang cut in. "Hey, could you please let us through the gates? I would really appreciate it if you did."

The soldier stammered over any answer he tried to form.

Aang sighed. "Please? We just need to see the Fire Lord quickly and then we'll be out of your way."

"Er- normally we wouldn't let you through, but I guess because you're the Avatar..." the soldier responded uneasily. Then, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "OPEN THE GATES!"

The command was echoed above us; there was an oily rasp that I assumed to be the sound of the gates opening. Aang opened the carriage door and popped inside, sitting back down between Suiya and I. He was smiling as if he had just won the war all over again. Sokka gaped at him.

"Who knew being the Avatar would come in handy?" he said, eyes wide.

Aang rolled his eyes. "Who knew?" he answered sarcastically.

Suiya tried desperately to keep from bursting into laughter.

The carriage lurched forward abruptly, pulling past the screeching metal. I stuck my head out the window and gazed up at the tall metal frames of the gates. They were higher than anything I had seen in my entire life, painted a gleaming red colour to hide the metal support-system. I glimpsed pulleys and gears at work inside the widening doors but the carriage quickly rolled past them. Soldiers, protected by black metal armour, swarmed around the gates. They checked out carts that had been pulled over and kept the outer wall life of the palace moving. The smell of smoke and burning coal filled the air, making me withdraw my head in as I sneezed. I pulled the curtain back over the window, letting my eyes readjust from the glare of the sunlight to the darkened carriage. I gulped in the clean air, blinking to clear fumes from my eyes.

"The Fire Nation never lost that industrial smell," I coughed, fanning the air in front of my face.

"It's getting better," Suiya said encouragingly. "The end of the war has decreased the manufacturing of materials needed for the military use, such as steel and Qiang powder."

"That's good to know," Sokka said in mock enthusiasm.

"Sokka, whatever happened to keeping your mouth shut?" I asked. He pantomimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.

The carriage stopped again; over the flurry of machinery noises, the snorts and cries of our carriage's ostrich-horses were escalating.

"We're at the inner wall," explained Suiya.

I snuck a peek outside the window. The carriage driver was listing his passengers to another set of stern-looking guards. Only one word seemed to change the guards' expressions: "Avatar."

"I'm glad you're my friend, Aang," I whispered.

The guards nodded to the driver and signalled to men walking atop the smaller inner wall. Shouts ensued and there was another metallic groan. What I thought was a perfectly smooth wall suddenly started to open up. The Fire Nation insignia gleamed on the gates, flashing in the sunlight with a bright red glare. Birds fluttered away from the toothed tops of the gates as they slowly swung open. When the gap was big enough, the guards motioned us through.

I shut the window again, a smile on my face. I didn't entirely like to admit it, but I was awestruck by the might and advanced level of technology that the Fire Nation had. I remember, as a child, being silenced in wonder at the efficiency of the ships sent to raid us; but at that moment I was truly dumbfounded.

Sokka stopped covering his ears as the whines and overbearing squeaks of the section between the walls died down. The open gates revealed peaceful walkways and I assumed we were in the interior of the palace. The irregular feel of the cobbled road quickly transitioned into the smooth surface of paved walkways. Quiet conversations replaced the busy screams of the soldiers; the soft notes of wind-chimes sung away the clangs of blacksmiths mending armour.

The carriage finally came to a halt and a few moments later the carriage driver opened the doors for us. I winced as sunlight flooded the doorway but it quickly dimmed as I grew used to it. Hakoda walked out first, followed by Sokka, Aang, and Suiya. I sucked in a tight breath, promised myself the sooner the better, and I heaved myself off of the pillowed seat and into the interior of the palace.

The road beneath me was smoothed out with the careful application of cement. The avenue was lined with neatly cut, deep green grass and ceremonial poles supporting lamps. The branches hung low and even, releasing glowing pink and yellow blossoms into the gently shifting breeze. Servants and youths trailed elders as they walked through the gardens, listening to the seniors discuss politics and their social prospects. All had pale skin, dark hair and brightly coloured eyes. I felt a little out of place amongst the shades of red people wore around me, stiffening as I heard the carriage turn around and depart for the inner wall. I glanced around towards the other side of the road; it was equally stunning in beauty. I turned to face the red-roofed palace and walked to Aang's side, grateful for the protection he emanated.

The palace was tall and mighty. The walls were dotted with small, arched windows and were coloured a fading crème. With ancient, slanting roofs and pinnacles depicting golden dragons, it gave off an aura of sacred importance. It was peaceful and solid, reflecting only one theme and one purpose as the capital building of the Fire Nation.

I kept staring as Aang tugged me along, moving with my family towards the entrance. As we neared the red-carpeted stairwell, I noticed an old, kind looking man with two servants waiting for us. His eyes were as bright as the sun and his hair as white as the moon, giving him an almost celestial appearance. We ascended the stairs with Hakoda in the lead.

My father leaned in and bowed, folding his hands in the way he had shown us earlier. I mimicked his movements as Aang, Suiya, and Sokka followed my father's lead. The old man bowed to us, a confident smile forming on his face.

"That's General Iroh," Aang whispered to me. "He's Zuko's uncle."

I stared at the neatly clad General as we straightened up from our bows. Iroh smiled at us.

"Chief Hakoda, what a pleasant surprise." He greeted my father with a warm, accented voice. "I trust times have been well for you."

My father smiled grimly. "Times have been better, unfortunately," he answered. He turned and gestured to Sokka and I. "This is Katara, my daughter, and Sokka, my son. They recently arrived from the South Pole."

Iroh looked between us and bowed again. "It is an honour to meet the children of such a great chief," he said.

I bowed back to him, smiling as his calming demeanour soothed my nerves.

"We came to see your nephew, Fire Lord Zuko. It is a matter of great importance that must be resolved immediately." Suiya inched closer to Hakoda's side as she spoke.

Iroh grinned. "My nephew will look forward to attending your problems as soon as he can," he promised. "Please excuse his behaviour if he appears...well, blunt."

Sokka tensed as he tried to hide a scowl. I looked at him, requesting answers with a tilted eyebrow, but he only avoided my gaze and stared at the ground. I looked back at my own feet and rubbed my bandaged hands, absently tracing the dull edges of pain along my palms.

Suiya laughed. "Our Fire Lord will be loved always, regardless of any flaws," she said assuredly.

"Please, allow me to lead you to the waiting room," Iroh offered.

"Thank you, we're much obliged," Hakoda answered.

Aang curled his fingers under my elbow and lead me along with them, stepping from the last of the rest of the stairs as we crossed an expansive, decorated platform. We entered a red-lit hallway with paintings and ceremonial items decking the walls, making the palace feel (as well as look) old. I found Aang's hand and quickly held onto it, trying to suck in as much comfort as I could. My stomach was twisted and clenched so tightly that I thought I would burst.

Up ahead, Iroh struck up a friendly conversation with Suiya and Hakoda while Sokka, Aang, and I trailed behind. I didn't pay much attention to their conversation, but knew that it followed along the lines of Jasmine tea.

The hallways were glowing with lights of red and yellow and were utterly endless. I knew that Iroh must've lived here for the majority of his life and I was grateful for him to lead us. I would've been completely lost. It reminded me of a much larger version of Suiya's house. It was the entire world encompassed within mighty walls, compared to the one-room huts of home. I hung my head, letting Aang's footsteps and hand guide me. I didn't belong here. I was too used to my old life to even begin to comprehend another life-style. My heart began to ache as I thought of the endless plains of ice and rising glaciers and I held back tears as I recalled the expansive white landscape. I missed the open spaces. I hated the confinement of the Fire Nation rooms and the way all the corridors seemed to narrow into a singular path.

Aang abruptly stopped, jolting me a little bit but bringing me back to the present. We were in a wide room with potted plants dividing rows of seats. A large window featured upon the wall at the far end of the room and low tables were centred within square sections of seats. Curling lines of steam rose from cups containing – I guessed – brewed tea.

Iroh turned to us and smiled. "The Fire Lord will try to be with you as soon as possible. You may be given a small window of time; the Earth Kingdom ambassadors tend to be stubborn with their demands, especially when it comes to discussing the new treaties," he explained. "Please, feel free to spend your time here or exploring the palace gardens. Servants will be present to assist you in your needs. Now, if you would excuse me, I have business to attend to." He bowed to Hakoda and Suiya before turning and gracefully leaving. I noted how easily he walked, poised in the air delicately as he almost floated across the ground. It must be a trait attributed only to Fire Nation officials. Suiya walked almost exactly as he did.

Sokka sat down in one of the chairs and rubbed his temple. "That was hectic," he sighed, grateful to be able to use his voice again.

Hakoda pursed his lips. "Any suggestions to pass the time?"

I took one glance out the window and gulped. I needed to be in the natural world. Staying in the eerie and dark mood of the palace would quickly eat away my patience.

"I'm going to the gardens," I announced, prying my hand from Aang's and starting in the direction of the insipid sunlight.

"I'll go with you," Aang offered.

I paled, wheeling around and holding out my hands. "No, Aang, that's okay. I... just... er..." I struggled to phrase my thoughts.

Aang nodded understandingly. "You would like to be alone?" he summarized.

I nodded, grimacing. "Sorry. I'd just like a few moments to myself. Could someone come get me when the Fire Lord is ready?"

Suiya smiled at me."We'll give you a five minute warning," she said, nodding.

I beamed briefly before turning away and heading towards the exit. Once there, I pushed my way out a side door and entered the garden, heaving a sigh of relief and slowing my pace as I relaxed in the calming garden. I left the pathway and walked into the avenues made by trees, letting falling blossoms dance around my head and tangle in my hair, adding colour to my paling complexion.

I stumbled across a small pond with scattered lilies pebbling across the water, noting how the ground transitioned from wavy grass to solid dirt. I sat down on the edge of a stone bench, watching the stagnant waters ripple away from the roots of a tranquil willow tree. A small group of turtle-ducks moved out from behind the tree and quacked at me, eagerly awaiting any food that I had.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I wish I could," I said to them. "Sorry."

The turtle-ducks grumbled angrily and swam off, hunting for their own food. I smiled and wondered who had spoiled them so much.

I stared at my shaking hands lying in my lap. I knew there was no backing out of this now. But that didn't mean that I wanted to do it any more than I had to. The memory of Zuko grabbing my wrist and glaring at me as I chased after Aang was all too vivid in my mind. I hated the idea of confessing to him that I needed his help. Why didn't he believe the rumours of the Azkai? The notion escaped me entirely. People were being _hurt._ Wasn't that cause enough to fight against the people terrorizing an already fragile nation?

I groaned and hung my head. "Yue..." I whimpered. "How do I do this?" I remembered the presence of the Blue Spirit in front of me last night and shivered. I couldn't give the Blue Spirit the protection he so readily gave me. Part of me prayed that luck would be on my side and the Blue Spirit would remain only a rumour.

I sighed in despair. This wasn't the end of the world, but it sure felt like it.

"Lady Katara, the famed daughter I've heard so much about," said a kind voice from behind me.

I jumped up, whirling around to see Iroh standing tall with his hands folded across his belly.

"I – er – General Iroh," I stuttered, hastily bowing before him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize – "

He smiled and waved his hand dismissively at my clumsy excuses. "It is all right. Do you mind if I join you?"

I gulped, shaking my head. "Not at all. Please." I gestured to the large space on the bench and sat on the edge of it, straightening my slumped shoulders and attempting to remain calm.

The old general sat down next to me and studied the pond for a moment. "I understand why you came to the garden," he stated.

I gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry?"

"I can tell something is on your mind. After the many battles I have seen, I too enjoy the experience of an occasional moment of peace," he explained, pulling out a piece of bread from under his cloak and tearing it in half. He gave one half to me as the turtle-ducks approached us once more.

I ripped off crumbs and threw them to the turtle-ducks, pondering what he said to me.

"After seeing the raids during my childhood, I thought I would be able to deal with an attack," I confessed. "At least, I would be able to show much more strength than I am." I angrily threw the rest of my bread to the turtle-ducks.

Iroh smiled warmly at me. "I very much respect you for coming here to enlighten my nephew as to the internal problems of the Fire Nation," he comforted. "Fire Lord Zuko has been trying his hardest to do what's right, but with the influx ambassadors and the rage from the other nations, he's been distracted from truly important issues. I'm sorry that you had to be a victim of his negligence."

My heart squeezed painfully at his modesty about his nephew. I took a moment to pinch myself, reminding my panicked mind once more that the Fire Nation was just a country of people, not monsters. I liked to think that Iroh's rare kindness might transcend future generations in this nation.

"Each day it gets better," I said, stifling small winces as I traced my palms with my thumb. "I just feel happy to be alive."

Iroh nodded. "You were lucky...where others were not."

We sat in silence for a while, quietly watching the mother turtle-duck play with her children. It was an easy silence, one that didn't make me nervous but instead calmed my tense mind. I had barely known Iroh for thirty minutes but he was easy to get along with. He had such a gentle personality; a personality that I had sorely missed since my mother's death.

I bit my lip. "Am I keeping you away from the business that you have to attend to?" I asked guiltily.

Iroh chuckled. "Not at all. I enjoy the company of your mother and father, but of course, I could tell that I am needed elsewhere."

_Suiya is not my mother,_ I thought to myself.

"I excused myself from your parents' presence," Iroh explained, "because I could see you were scared. I believe at a time like this that we all need time to explore our thoughts alone. But this isn't what you're doing. You're shutting yourself out from the world."

I blushed. Was I that easy to read? Iroh already interpreted a lot more from my actions than I thought was humanly possible.

"Forgive me for my guesswork, but you do not seem to be the loner type," he said, looking at me with concern.

I sighed, rubbing my upper arm and shaking my head. "I love people. I want to be able to spend time with my family. But..."

Iroh inhaled deeply. "You do not feel as if you are amongst family here?"

I shook my head. "I left my grandmother back in the Southern Water Tribe. She has been my mother to me for all these long years. I'm not ready to accept a... _Fire Nation_ official in the role. It doesn't feel right."

I heard loud, hurried footsteps sound behind us; turning around, I saw one of the servants that had come with Iroh. They were flustered with the sudden exercise and spoke their words hurriedly. "Lady Katara, the Fire Lord will grant you his audience now," he said before turning and quickly departing. I turned back to Iroh, sure that my expression was that of fright. Iroh smiled.

"This may not be helpful advice, but you should be happy to have your family with you. Even if they don't feel like family, staying together through the toughest of times can only strengthen bonds."

I nodded, shutting my eyes before standing up and bowing to him. "Thank you, General Iroh, for your company and consolation. I feel better," I said, happy to know that what I said was the truth. I _did_ feel more secure than I had. The words he had offered were comforting to my mind.

"It was nice to help out a new friend," he returned, smiling. "But of course, from now on you may call me Iroh."

I grinned, nodding as I turned around and started back in the direction I had came, leaving the serenity of the pond for the stuffiness inside of the palace. Light pinks, whites and greens melted into the temperate shades of the traditional Fire Nation I knew. Sokka was waiting for me, perched on a chair while fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Where's the rest of our group?" I asked when I reached him.

Sokka looked up at me and stood up, straightening his shirt and clearing his throat. "They went into the throne room already," he said. "I stayed behind to wait for you."

I nodded, my stomach leaping up into my throat as my heartbeat raced. "Okay then." The shaking returned.

Sokka blew a stray strand of hair from his countenance. "Well, time to go say hi to an old buddy of ours," he attempted weakly.

I gulped. "Just lead me there."

Sokka nodded, turning on his heels and leading me down a short hall to a set of double doors. The handles were in the forms of dragon heads, the metal engravings of Fire Sages twisting around them and arching up along the edges. Lamps flickered, casting shadows and rays of light across two statues guarding either side of the door. Sokka stood forward and pushed open the doors to the throne room.

My heart skipped a beat as the doors swung open with ease, drawing my gaze quickly to the room before me. My blood ran cold as I stared at the intimidating scene.

Sokka tugged on my arm and pulled me forward. The smooth, obsidian floor made our footsteps echo up along the spiralling pillars supporting the roof. Rivers of fire snaked around the edge of the room, sending tongues of light along the folds of the blood-red curtains draping the walls. There was a low table covered with a large map, detailing the entire world with deep accuracy and vivid brush-strokes. The table was lined with stern-looking men – all over the age of forty – whom gave Sokka and I hard looks. I ran my gaze up along the table, ignoring the piercing eyes of the generals as I first set my sight upon Fire Lord Zuko.

Zuko hadn't changed his outward attitude at all. His expression was tired but angry, as if something had been troubling him for months and had finally gotten more than skin deep. His ridged scar rippled along the left side of his face, slanting up as his features pulled into a tighter frown. He'd just seen Sokka striding a little too boldly to match the distance of Suiya, Hakoda, and Aang. His eyes didn't reach me as I remained in my brother's shadow, keeping my face down. I didn't want him to see me just yet.

Sokka stopped, bowing respectfully despite his stressed expression. I swallowed back my fear and came out from behind him, leaning forward in the bow I had practised.

I felt Zuko's eyes piercing into me, making my skin burn. I winced, trying to chase fear from my face before I straightened back up to meet his fiery golden eyes. His features had aged in the years that had passed, giving him the glare of a young man rather than that of a teenager. He was still handsome, his face matured into strong beauty; but that only served to harden his scowl.

The generals shifted back in their seats. I had bowed dutifully in front of their Fire Lord, earning a small amount of approval from their hostile ranks.

Through the silence, one of the generals stood up and aligned his body perfectly with the table as he cleared his throat. "Lady Katara. We are grateful you could come," he began, giving me a false, practised smile. His voice echoed around the room faintly, doubling the malice being thrown my way.

Unnerved, I smiled weakly at him. "So am I."

"My name is Admiral Canren. I shall speak for Fire Lord Zuko," he explained, a cold edge hidden in his voice.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "Forgive me, Admiral Canren, but I thought I'd be –"

"Alone with the Fire Lord?" he finished, raising both eyebrows in mock kindness. "That won't be the case today. The Senator stressed the urgency of this meeting. Why make our Fire Lord say something twice when you can explain it to all of us just once? If these rumours about the Azkai are true, then surely you would have no problem telling the officials why we are all in danger?"

My eyes stung at his comments, the bitter taste of dread filling my dry mouth.

He didn't wait for me to answer. "I thought you wouldn't." He turned to my family. "You may take a seat," he told them, gesturing to the floor. It took all my strength not to grimace. I didn't like his rudeness at all.

My family looked at each before sitting down on the obsidian floor. I watched Zuko's face; there was no change in his glower.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

Yet Gran-Gran's words burned in my mind and so I pushed myself onwards. I stood up a little straighter, starting my explanation. "My name is Katara, and I am the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. I came here three days ago to spend time with my family. I didn't trust the Fire Nation any more than I had in the past few years but nonetheless, I was eager to come. I thought I would be safe here. The war was over and the Fire Nation was making up for what it had done to the world."

The council tensed at my remarks about the Fire Nation's wrongdoings, disapproval slinking into their quickly-forming frowns. Their sneers were quickly eating away at what confidence Iroh had given me.

I carried on, trying to slow my thundering heart with deep breaths. "When I came here, Avatar Aang brought my brother and I to our new home. Our parents gave us weapons of self-defence." I reached up and held my moonstone. "Among these items was a moonstone, said to give their owners great power that grows as time passes. It was then that they explained the rumours of the Azkai to us."

"So you admit that they are rumours?" one of the older nobles questioned, a disbelieving eyebrow raised.

I shook my head, annoyed. "Not at all. At the time they were rumours. My parents knew people who had been attacked. Lives were being threatened. They knew that they couldn't protect me every second, so they made sure to equip us with whatever they deemed useful."

The nobleman didn't look any more convinced, keeping his unmoving expression in time with Admiral Canren's.

I sucked in uneven breaths, clenching my fists painfully. Their eyes felt like daggers slowly sinking into my skin, drawing out the pain tortuously. "That night, I was in the garden with Avatar Aang and my brother, familiarizing ourselves with the natural world of the Fire Nation. A ribbon in my hair was dislodged in a breeze and was blown away. As it wasn't mine, I chased after it. The sun was setting in the distance and I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't know the Fire Nation streets that well – in fact, I didn't know them at all. I wanted to do the right thing and thought to myself that the wind wouldn't carry the ribbon very far. But it did. I chased it until the sun went down. When I had finally caught it and put it back in my hair, I knew I was lost."

I swept the room quickly, reading the faces and postures of the council. My family was tensed and nervous; half of the officials were bored and the others were disbelieving; the Fire Lord had his sight pinned on me. He remained still in the silence.

"I sat down at the Ye Wan fountain, trying to gather my thoughts and think about what to do next. I was lost with no way of retracing my steps. I was also alone and it was night-time. After a few moments to myself, I began hearing movement around me. Out of nowhere, a black-haired woman with bright-yellow eyes appeared behind me, threatening me and distracting me; someone snuck up behind me as I drew water from the fountain. I saw an insignia on the arms of one of the men as they came out of the darkness. It was a Fire Lily: the Azkai's symbol. I was afraid but gained a little bit of confidence when I saw that my ability to bend water intimidated some of the men. But it wasn't to last. The woman was a firebender, quickly igniting flames over her palms and telling me that she could bend on a master level. They knew I could recognize them as the Azkai and used that to frighten me even more.

"The woman gave the order to 'block' me and I felt knuckles press a quick and painful sequence on my back. I lost all feeling and all ability to bend. I fell limp and they blindfolded me, gagging me as I tried to scream. I couldn't do anything. They saw my moonstone and took it away." My voice cracked, the full impact of the memory seizing me. I shut my eyes briefly but quickly opened them, terrified to see the woman smile as I fell backwards towards the ground.

I glanced over at my family. All were wearing horrified and guilty faces. The noblemen who had previously been bored were now slightly interested and the ones who had been disbelieving were now glaring at me. All this focus stretched my tolerance to a breaking point, winding up the emotions I had managed to bottle up until now.

I continued, using all my strength to flatten my voice. "I thought I was going to die. I wasn't ready to be murdered. I – they just – " I couldn't. This was the part when the Blue Spirit came. Should I tell them that the Azkai left? I wasn't found gagged and blindfolded at the Ye Wan fountain. I was found against a random house with cuts and bruises across my skin. How would I explain the flare that led Aang and Sokka towards me?

The sound of cold, hollow laughter brought me out of my denial. My eyes shot to Canren, who was holding his stomach and laughing. "And I assume you're going to cry now?" he managed through his snickering.

I balled my fists and glared at him. "I'm not lying!" I said defensively, not bothering to keep a growl from my voice. I held up my hands. "They _hurt_ me! I still have the wounds to prove it!"

Canren finished off a chuckle, not even noticing the wrath of the Fire Lord's glare upon him. "But, as I speak for the entire council, I just can't help noticing how undeniably fake your story sounds. You could have easily feigned your wounds and then made up a story to steal away our intention from affairs that actually _matter._ Government issues are going on, issues that bear more importance to our Fire Lord than _weak, lowly_ rumours."

I trembled with rage, held back only by a small iota of common sense.

"What's even more unbelievable," Canren chortled, "is that you think that we'll just believe they left you at the fountain; that they simply left you to die with your injuries. You couldn't possibly escape on your own."

I hung my head, my eyes burning with the pressure of my anger. This is exactly what Aang had argued. Everyone thought I was too weak to pull off an escape.

"No, I didn't escape on my own," I snapped.

The admiral smiled. "Did your boyfriend, the Avatar, rescue you just in time?" he crooned.

Aang looked away to hide his face as my cheeks heated up. "Aang's not my boyfriend, nor did he save me," I retorted, fighting past humiliation. I no longer disliked the Fire Nation: I _hated_ the Fire Nation.

"Did a magical fairy come save you?"

"No, I – "

"Then you admit to your story being completely false," he interjected. The council started to laugh, knowing Canren had cornered me. I didn't even bother to look at Zuko's face.

I shut my eyes and held back screams of frustration behind my grinding teeth. I had now had enough. This must end.

"The Blue Spirit rescued me!" I shouted, silencing the hall. Everyone stared at me in shock, even the Fire Lord. "I would have died that night, but for the presence of the man in the blue mask! He chased them off, stabbing the leader and returning my moonstone to me! I owe him my life! And you owe me an apology, _Admiral_ Canren!"

The throne room was still as I stood, shaking and fuming at the council. Canren was silent, contemplating my outburst.

A deep, husky voice cut out through the quiet. "The Blue Spirit is a criminal," stated the Fire Lord, catching my gaze and holding it tightly. "An outlaw. He refuses to work with the military. His intentions are unknown and he threatens the safety of the civilians in the city. Why would he save you?"

I shook my head. "He's not an outlaw. He helps people! He's kind – much kinder than anybody I've talked to all afternoon. He carried me to a safe place and shot up a flare so that Sokka and Aang could find me. He ensured my safety. He wouldn't do anything bad if his life depended on it!"

Zuko kept his face confined to a scowl, yet a small flicker of empathy rose in his eyes.

Admiral Canren stood up, attempting a venomous smile. "I believe that this meeting is in conclusion. Thank you, Lady Katara, for honouring us with your presence. We will take the time to consider what you have presented us with. We'll get back to you in several weeks with our response. For now, we have Earth Kingdom officials demanding our time."

I gaped at them. That was it? They insult me, berate me, doubt me, manage to tilt me off the edge of my patience and now this? A dismissal that tells me to await an answer to my efforts in a few _weeks?_ I thought I would die.

"Katara," I heard Sokka whisper in my ear, "It's time to go." I felt his fingers wrap around my arm and I realized that the rest of my family was surrounding me, saddened looks on their faces.

I bowed stiffly to Admiral Canren. "Thank you for your time," I croaked, hollow with defeat. I had failed. They wouldn't believe me. I was attacked by a rumour and saved by a hated criminal. Canren was right. I couldn't sound any more fake if I tried.

I barely felt my feet moving underneath me. Sokka guided me around, leading me through the doors. Aang helped support my other side. They talked to me but I couldn't listen. Their words were too distant for my mind to comprehend. I was too mad, too tired and too embarrassed to think clearly. I wanted home. I wanted my mother's arms.

We walked through the waiting room and let a servant steer our way back through the palace, leading us down hallways and through doorways until we were out in the open once more. The sun was dimming over the edges of the volcano, warming the appearance of the gardens into true Fire Nation colours while sending the calls of birds and conversations of nobles into the silence of the oncoming night.

From the of the corner of my eye, I saw Iroh approach with a happy expression on his face. He didn't know what had happened yet. I panicked and hid my face in Sokka's chest, clutching onto his shirt and trembling as I desperately fought back my physical responses to failure. Iroh's voice was calm as he asked my father if the meeting went well.

"It... didn't quite meet our expectations," my father attempted, his voice wavering.

Iroh made a disappointed sigh. Sokka held me closer, shielding me from the old general's sight.

"I am sorry to hear that," Iroh replied numbly.

"I'm sorry to leave on such short notice, but I'd better take my daughter home. She's had a rough day," Hakoda apologized.

As if the word 'rough' covered it even minutely. My eyes stung and my cheeks started to feel wet.

"Of course. Take time to recuperate your strength," Iroh said. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Hakoda..." Sokka reminded, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"I must go. Farewell, General Iroh."

Sokka pulled me along – or at least, tried to. My legs felt like jelly and I stumbled, unable to keep balance. Sokka picked me up and carried me along instead. I heard the snorting and neighing of ostrich-horses and knew that the carriage was here. The footsteps of my family padded around me and Sokka quickly ascended a couple of stairs, sitting down and placing me next to him. I remained in his arms, letting the tears flow as my rejection swallowed me. The world dimmed to black.

Sleep overcame me within a matter of minutes. It was the only way I could stop the tears.

* * *

"_Mom?" I asked the darkness, turning to see nothing around me._

_"Katara?" a nervous, high voice answered. _

_"Mom!" I cried, running towards where the voice had sounded. The world around me lightened with colour, brightening into a translucent white. The neutral air around me turned frigid, biting into my skin ruthlessly through the parka I wore. My father, suddenly several years younger, was running by my side and the familiar heavy breaths of Sokka running behind me entered my ears. _

_We tore through the tiger-seal doorway of the hut only to see my mother crumpled on the floor, a pool of thick, red blood expanding below her. I couldn't see her face and I didn't want to. My father wailed, a sound I had never thought I'd hear coming from him. _

_I covered my mouth, shaking and whispering, "Mom?"_

_"Don't look," Sokka told me sternly and covered my eyes, hugging me closely. "Just follow my steps. Come on. It'll be okay. You're doing great." _

_I sobbed as he gently tugged me off of the animal pelts and back into the empty darkness, his arms dissolving from my shoulders and his voice fading into a memory I thought I had put behind me._

_I opened my eyes, seeing nothing. I was lost and alone. I could still hear my mother screaming in the background, crying for help that never came. _

_"Mommy, I wanted to run faster!" I protested as her screams became louder. "I wanted to help! You told me to go get Dad!"_

_"Why did you leave me?" her voice screamed accusingly. "You could have saved me!"_

_"I'm sorry!" I pleaded, dropping to my knees and hiding my face._

_"You monster of a child! I gave my life for you!" she hissed, her voice dripping with malice a daughter should never hear from her mother._

_"No! I love you!" I retorted. _

_"You've lost me and you've lost yourself! Go away!" she ordered. "You disgust me! Sokka was a better son than you were a daughter. You're weak!"_

_"Please..." I croaked, the feelings of abandonment and shame chipping my chest into a hollow, aching cavity. "Mommy, please..."_

_"You aren't worth my life!" her voice screamed, echoing around me mockingly. "You have no honour."_

_"Mommy, I failed you," I whimpered._

_Her voice laughed, the sound hitting me like boulders from every direction. I screamed and tried to waterbend at the invisible force, but there was no water. I was alone. _

_"Help me! Mommy, please!" I screamed. _

_"She's helped you enough," Aang's voice answered dryly. "Why should anyone help you? You do nothing for us but cause pain!"_

_Fire began to course through me, peeling off my skin and eating me from the inside out. I swatted at where the flames should have been, but I felt nothing but my own cold, normal flesh. I was alive but dying tortuously. _

_"Sokka!" I screamed. _

_"Oh yeah, just call out for me. Because I'm the only one you can trust." Sokka's voice was layered thickly with sarcasm. "I'll just come for you like I always have and give you the hope you need. No big deal. You can _totally_ count on me." _

_"No!" I screamed as daggers started to slice at my heart, the fire raging inside me with hungry anger. "I need someone! Anyone! Help!"_

_"Why don't I just take everyone away from you?" I heard a familiar voice offer coldly. Sokka, Aang and mother screamed in surprise. The black around me felt emptier than before. I yelled in frustration; Hakoda, my father, was leaving with the ones I loved. _

_"Help!" I whispered as I started to disintegrate into singed ashes. "Anyone, please?" The daggers hacked at me with more precision, brutality and strength than they had before. The fire caught on the blood, _my_ blood that was oozing out of my chest and ignited again, burning harder, faster, stronger... _

_I collapsed onto the ground, shutting my eyes and feeling my heartbeat die quickly away into the black. _Mom... what have I done? _I thought, mentally wincing as the fire finished off the last of my body. The invisible daggers started poking at the embers playfully, trying to see if they could tease a spark out of what used to be me. _

_Where did I go wrong?_

_When does this nightmare end?_

**

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A/N: Canren's a real jerk, isn't he? His name means 'cruel' in Chinese. **

**For all those who love this story and want to read/encourage more, check out Against the Winds of Fate. It's this story, but from everyone's point of view **_**except**_** Katara's! Chapter One is up, and it's from Sokka's point of view. I recently added chapter two from Suiya's point of view. It's on my profile page. **

**Some of you may be wondering, "Wait a minute, I didn't know there was an inner wall and outer wall surrounding the Fire Nation palace? This author's making things up!" Well, you're right about that fact that I am introducing a slightly different layout to the palace. I added the description of an almost battle-ground or place of industry between an old wall and a newly added wall for the purpose of making the Fire Nation seem a little defensive after the war, and therefore are finishing up building the new outer wall. Think of it this way: The Fire Nation has been waging an ugly war against the two remaining nations for the longest of times, and they know that the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom are still angry with them. So, in case of an attack, they want their new Fire Lord to have extra protection. **

**Tell me how much you love/hate this fanfic in a review! Much appreciated, and have a nice day!**

**Also, a very, very, very, very big thanks to eleventy7 for beta-ing these two chapters! Check out her story, Once Around the Sun, if you have free time! (Trust me, you'll love it!)  
**


	11. Spirit Found

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperzukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**Hello people! I know I've been gone for over half a year but I'm back now and I just recently drabbled and wrote up this and decided to call it Chapter 10. It's probably not as polished as it should be, but I promise to start updating more frequently. Fanfiction writing is truly the best and I hope that you enjoy more Blue Spirit interaction. You guys are awesome and this is my apology for my absence. Thank you!**

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**10**

"Katara, are you okay?" Sokka nudged me gently. The world outside was darker than I had remembered. Stars flickered above my head in the night sky, a breeze ruffling the fur edges of my dress. Sokka was carrying me through the garden, his blue eyes almost glowing in the sable light. I squeezed my eyes shut as pain from the dream echoed inside me. My eyes were burning and my face ached. I pushed tighter into his arms. "No," I whimpered. "I want to go home."

"We are home," he whispered, a wooden ceiling replacing the freedom of the sky as he ascended the porch steps.

"No," I protested, hiding my face in his chest. "I want Gran-Gran. I want to go _home."_

Sokka didn't answer as he carried me inside. I heard multiple footsteps padding around us, some lighter than others. Everything was eerily silent, as if the world had been laughed at by the Fire Council too. How could they laugh in the face of me, a sixteen-year-old girl who's lost _everything?_ Canren's cruel laughter tumbled in my ears. I wormed my fingers to hold my ears shut, naively believing that it would cut out the noise.

Aang's quiet voice sliced through the cackling, ending it abruptly. "I have friends at the docks that can arrange you a ship for home," he offered glumly.

"Thanks Aang, but what Katara needs now is rest. We'll talk more in the morning," Sokka answered, stopping briefly. "She's had a tough day."

I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut, images and memories of my grandmother's warm face stinging my eyes. I desperately clawed at my memories of home. I heaved a sigh when Sokka resumed walking, timing his steps like the rising and falling water of the ocean. A white mist overcame the sight of the back of my eyelids and I was calmed momentarily by the vision of the expansive, immaculate snow glittering in the pooling sunlight. Gales layered with white dust drifted across the crystalline water, numbing my nose and fingers.

"I don't understand why Canren's still in office," Suiya snapped angrily, pulling me painfully away from the memories. "Is he _trying_ to be as bad as his predecessor, Admiral Zhao?"

"Suiya, hush," Hakoda whispered. Sokka started climbing the main-stairwell. I let my rage and defeat keep my mouth shut. I was still tired, too disoriented to even think about how to filter my mouth. I knew that if I started talking I'd say something that I might regret. I all ready regretted too many things at the moment to possibly add more to the lengthening list.

I dozed slightly, trying desperately to ignore the images running through my head and the sounds assaulting my ears. Canren's laughter haunted the visions of melting snow and a boiling red sun sucking the blue beauty from my home. I hated those visions. I wished they'd dissolve into thin air. I couldn't feel anything but miserable at the sickening sight of them.

There was a creak as Sokka pushed open my bedroom door, followed by a slow beat before I was turned upright and set down on my bed. I rubbed my eyes, slowly dropping my hands in my lap and inclining my head back to look at my brother. He was crossing his arms and studying me, waves of emotions lapping deep within his eyes.

"Can I trust you enough to put yourself to bed?" Sokka asked sceptically.

I nodded, anxiously awaiting my time alone. "Just go, Sokka," I mumbled, flopping backwards and sprawling on the bed-spread.

I winced as yellow light started creeping between my eyelids. "I'll leave some light on for you," Sokka explained. "Servants have left a basin of water for you, and for the sake of comfort, I'm opening your balcony. It's too cold in here."

I groaned, hauling myself up to give him narrowed eyes. "Sokka, I appreciate what you are doing, but I don't need to be mothered. I'm fine." My tone ended up being more irritated than I had hoped.

Sokka snorted. "I entirely doubt that. Good night," he replied curtly, exiting the room swiftly and closing the door quietly behind him.

I stood up and walked around, blinking to swell my perception of the world. I clutched my moonstone and took in deep breaths, drawing in power in time with my slowed heartbeat. After I had awoken enough to clean myself, I doused my face in water, scrubbing angrily at the salty lines the tears had left. I yanked my hair back into a bun, growling as my scalp stung at the unwanted pulling.

"Stupid, stupid council," I growled as I stuffed in my mother's hair-clip messily. "Three stupid weeks for a stupid answer."

Once done with my hair I scrambled across the room to dig through my backpacks, reaching in to find one of my old, common dresses. I didn't feel like wearing anything the Fire Nation had kept for me—anything the Fire Nation had made, dyed, and lied about coming from my homeland. I had to be as Water Tribe as possible.

I pulled on my faded blue dress and added darkened leggings beneath it, observing myself in the mirror extruding from between the folds of the dresses lining about it. I was myself once more. There was no Fire Nation in me. There could never _be_ any Fire Nation in me.

I gazed deeply into my eyes, wondering if the pain I was suffering through was self-inflicted. I had been willing to come here. For the sake of my father. For the sake of Suiya. For the sake of Sokka.

When would I start realizing what was good and bad for me?

I wiped away strands of hair from my forehead and decided to finish off my night-time preparations. I walked over to the lit candle sitting on the desk beside the closet, wanting to snuff it out to allow the full radiance of the moonlight to set everything aglow. I loathed the golden tinge the candle added to my pale room. It was too—too...

_Fire Nation,_ I thought bitterly.

I swiped my fingers over the flickering flame, cutting out the tongue of fire and ending the reign of golden light in my room. I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply. Much better.

I turned on the balls of my feet, recalling the direction I had to walk along in order to reach my bed. Ignoring the ache in my chest, I opened my eyes.

The room was truly beautiful in the moonlight. Cracks and streaks of silver edged the pearly faces of the bone-white furniture, illuminating the rounded circles and crescents made by the moon wallpaper. White, grey, and liquid silver trickled across the deepened brown of the wooden floor, running along the planks and trimming the fur rugs draped to cover the skilled architecture of the room. It wasn't home, but the more Water Tribe I breathed into my room, the more Water Tribe it would become.

I eyed my bed unrelentingly. I finally sighed and started towards my balcony, gently setting myself down on the velvet couch lining the railing. I leaned on the railing, resting my chin on my folded arms, and stared at the waxing moon. It was bigger than it had been on the night of the attack, expanding over the black covering her full beauty.

An unwanted tear slipped from my eye. Home was all I wanted. Was it too much to ask of Aang to send me back?

I closed my eyes as my back started tingling. Someone was behind me— I could _feel_ the heat emanating from the body running laps up and down my spine. My neck pricked under the gaze of the person staring at me.

I sighed, squeezing my eyes further shut. "Sokka, I'm okay," I assured, unsure why my brother couldn't leave my side when I wanted him too.

The presence remained, unmoving as ever. I could almost imagine my brother raising an eyebrow at me sarcastically. He would say something mordant at any moment now.

But the comment never came.

I opened my eyes and growled, frustrated. "Sokka, seriously, what do you—"

I gasped as I turned around, laying my gaze over who really was my visitor. The Blue Spirit stood quietly at the mouth of the balcony, his arms folded as he stared at me softly. The usual hidden malice in his black eyes was gone, and instead gave off the calm resignation of slight sadness and pity.

"Spirit," I choked, trembling in embarrassment. "I thought you—"

I closed my mouth and gulped. He wasn't stupid. He knew I didn't know it was him.

He cocked his head sideways and looked at me questioningly, unfolding his arms and leaving them at his sides. He was strangely relaxed. Was it disappointment? Did he know that I gave him away to the Fire Lord?

He swiftly strode up to me and sat down at my side, the moonlight highlighting the features of his mask painted white and deepening the subtle blues framing them. I held his gaze as he slowly raised his hand and wiped the tear from my cheek. He inclined his head to look at it, and then quickly looked back at me. A desire for answers moulded his posture, curving his shoulders inward as he focused his attention on me.

My lip trembled. "I saw the Fire Lord today," I said quickly. "I told him about the attack and how you saved me. Everyone knows."

The Blue Spirit remained motionless, a minute tensing constricting his shoulders. Indecision? Or perhaps I took him off guard?

I looked at the ground. "I understand if you're mad at me. They were laughing at me, and I didn't want to tell them, but... They just... I messed up. I'm sorry. I'll understand if you leave."

There was a slight breeze and the warmth of his body disappeared. I shut my eyes, heartbroken. He left.

I looked up and stared at the vacant place next to me. I bit my lip and angrily balled my fists. _Why did I tell him? I could've just lied! He would still be with me if I had just_—

Long fingers curled around the edge of the railing as the Blue Spirit pulled himself up and over it, rotating on his wrist and crouching down where he had been sitting a few seconds before. He extended his hand and offered me the bundle of flowers he had just picked.

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. I recognized the coiled, orange petals of the flower. Aang had pointed it out to me while in the garden on the day of the attack. They were called Adine flowers. 'Adine' was Sun Warrior for 'forgiveness.'

I grinned, my expression painfully hopeful as I glanced up at him. "You forgive me?"

The Blue Spirit nodded once, re-offering me the freshly picked flowers. I took them, the soft stems curling up in my palm. They reacted to the hot weather of the Fire Nation by twisting in little ringlets upon themselves. The fiery orange petals almost glowed in the dark. I stood up and quickly walked over to my desk, placing the flowers in the vase next to the Forget-Me-Nots. I fluffed them out before turning around and smiling at the Blue Spirit. He stood on the balcony, admiring my little bouquet in surprise while rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

I blushed. It had never occurred to me that a masked warrior of the night would be shy.

He caught me gazing at him and quickly returned his hand to his side. He gestured for me to come over, and like the tug of a puppeteers fingers on the strings, I sprinted over to join him at the balcony.

My moonstone sparkled happily as it caught the moonbeams and played with them, glowing brightly between us.

"So..." I said, a little unsure of what to do next. "As long as you're here, what do you want to do?" I blushed. I felt frank to ask him what he wanted to do, as if nothing had ever happened the previous day. I shuddered at the memory of Zuko's hard glare, moving my eyes back into the blackened ones of the Spirit.

The Blue Spirit raised his shoulders deviously and pointed out towards the horizon.

I knitted my brows, trying to understand what he had pantomimed. I fixed my gaze on the distance. "Er... I'm looking in the direction you pointed. I don't see—ah!"

A quick pair of arms circled under me, sweeping me off my feet gently. The sky whirled above my head and my stomach tumbled inside me as the direction of gravity shifted waveringly. I was jolted and then sensation of falling stopped. I clutched onto the Blue Spirit worriedly, stunned by what had happened. We were on the wall surrounding the mansion, out-looking the entire volcano city. People strolled lazily in the streets, glowing lanterns flickering in their hands as cascades of light sharpening the edges of the masks they wore. My eyes widened in wonder. The orange glow strangely suited the city, highlighting crème coloured walls and the blood-red roof tiles of the mansions.

I took a moment to catch my breath, stretching my neck to look over his shoulder. Had we just jumped from my balcony to the wall?

"What _are_ you doing?" I breathed, raising an eyebrow at him.

The Blue Spirit looked down at me, keeping his body language as emotionless and inert as a statue.

"If you don't tell me..." I paused as I tried to formulate a threat. What could possibly make him obey? I barely knew him! The scrambling about in my mind was interrupted as abruptly as it began by him launching into a flying sprint, jumping off the end of the wall and into a dark, secluded alley.

I squirmed and pushed myself out of his arms, turning around and frowning at him.

"Okay, seriously, are you trying to kidnap me?"

He shrugged, moving to pick me up once more.

"I can walk!" I snapped.

The Blue Spirit stared at me in amusement and pondering, folding his arms in a common thinking pose with his chin tilted down.

I rolled my eyes. "This whole not-talking thing isn't working out for us. Please speak!" I begged.

I could almost imagine a smirk creeping up under the mask. His shoulders tightened upward—no more thinking. Just amusement.

I fumed. "I'm not funny! I'm not a laughing stock! And I'm _not_ going anywhere with you until you give me some answers!"

I heard laughter from around the neck of the street, a noise that set the Spirit on edge. He looked around nervously, searching for an exit.

I sighed, pinching my nose while trying to flatten my creased forehead. "Okay, I can assume safely that you're _not_ out to kill me, are you?"

The Blue Spirit turned sideways minutely before nodding—taken by surprise.

I searched into him hard. After a slow beat of deliberation, I made up my mind. He was telling the truth. He wasn't out to hurt me. I let the comfort of the fact unwind my posture.

"And... if the Azkai do come for me, you will defend me? I'm—" I grimaced, "—not _that_ much of a waterbender. I should be. But I'm not."

The Blue Spirit slouched a little bit and looked at me sympathetically, but nodded anyway.

"My safety is your priority? I'll return home in time to get some rest?"

The Spirit weighed out his options in his hands, shrugging as if he was undecided.

My eyes widened and I clenched my fists. "Spirit!" I whined.

He silently chuckled and nodded, treading forward still we were a hands distance apart. My stomach fluttered as he reached up, briefly touched the area above his heart, and then reached down and touched the area over mine, brushing it gently with the tips of his fingers. A soulful promise. He hadn't broken his other soulful promise to me yet—he had shown up to me tonight.

I could trust him. Small jokes aside, he was loyal.

I took in a deep breath, absently reaching up to touch my necklace. He looked down at my fingers, staring at the stone pendant they brushed.

I looked down and blushed. "This was my mother's. She gave it to me before she died. This is all I have left of her." My throat clogged at the memory of home once more. I looked away, staring down the street bordering the walls of Suiya's mansion. The jagged edges of the volcano framed the image of sleeping houses, lights flickering up their protective casings from the lanterns in the hands of the people strolling through the streets.

The soft shadow of the crater against the night sky was almost...enchanting.

I felt his fingers wrap beneath my forearm, a question in his eyes as he looked down at me.

I looked back at my house and then nodded, smiling and then agreeing. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

**A/N: Chapter Eleven coming soon! Review if you have time, and have a nice day! **

**-spockjasperzukowriting**

**.com**


	12. Bonding in the Night

**Hiding My Masked Affection **

spockjasperlokizukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. **

**Hello avid readers or something! Now for whatever the heck the Blue Spirit and Katara got up to on their 'date.' Sorry for not updating in a while. But here's a new chapter to be somewhat satisfied with. Thanks again to all the members of my audience and the people who keep sending me messages to get off my butt and put forth some action. Here's to you!**

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**11**

_I was flying. The rooftops, the candles of light that flickered below us. I looked up, saw his mask, then closed my eyes. Because I knew we were safe, the Fire Nation below us, the wonders of the markets, the celebrations of the people. I saw the good in the world, and flew above it, clasped in his arms. I was safe._

_ I was flying._

* * *

Sunlight flickered like fireworks between my lids and I stirred, grunting as I threw a reluctant forearm across my eyes, sighing and breathing in slowly. Birds chirped from outside, currents of air sweeping around the room. I inhaled, content, at peace, the small cuts along my hands and arms feeling faint, left behind to a darker memory. I was in a special place now, and I was happy.

Lethargically, I pushed myself from the canvas mattress and sat up, blinking as the sunlight flooded the room, brighter than I had expected, dust dancing in the glimmering rays streaming from the balcony, pooling on the floor like water. I dipped my hand into the basin next to my bed, wiping down my face, letting the cool liquid refresh me, reminding me once again of the reality I was faced with .

_I had faced the Fire Lord, been laughed at, but the Blue Spirit had forgiven me. It was going to be okay. _

I stood up and stretched, letting my hands push towards the ceiling, a grin easing across my face as I tilted back and forth, rounding about on my pelvis, feet stamped together on the cool, wooden floor. I adjusted my dress, blushing as I realized I had forgotten to change out of my clothes, and dove into my closet, pulling out more robes until I was once again myself, fixing the loops framing my cheeks, washing any residual paint make-up from the fairs of last night. My face felt hot as I thought about the fun I had had, and how much I was suddenly willing to give the Fire Nation a chance.

_All because the Blue Spirit had come back. _

I giggled, staring at myself in the mirror, blue eyes meeting blue eyes, watching myself smile for what felt like the first time in years- to truly smile, the ends of my lips pulling into a genuine grin. I dusted myself off, straightening as I heard laughter from the garden. I followed the noise to my balcony, my braid whispering behind me as a breeze swept in. Looking down, I saw Aang playing with a small creature with large ears, disproportional to it's body as it played with an insect, spanning its arms to reveal large layers of skin. It jumped from his arms and glided, circling around until it stole his staff.

"Hey!" Aang laughed, launching after the creature as it grinned and trilled, dark eyes looking up to meet mine. "Momo, come back here!"

I snickered as the creature flew up to my side, cruising to a halt and dropping the staff at my feet. I held out my arms as the creature nuzzled me, desperate for attention, rubbing its forehead beneath my outstretched palm. "Momo," I pondered. "What a good name for something like you."

"It's a lemur-bat," Aang explained, kicking a torrent of air as he jumped to my height, mirroring the grace of my nightly visitor as he sat cross-legged on the railing, eyes twinkling. "I think he likes you."

I laughed as Momo rolled out, stretching his belly, begging for pets, his trail curling around my wrist, mouth wide open for the most mischievous of expressions. "Apparently," I agreed.

Aang paused, his face falling in concern, gray eyes sparkling in the rising sun. "So... You're feeling better? You look better."

I raised an absent hand to my cheek and brushed it, feeling myself eager to smile once more. "Yes, I feel better after a good night's sleep."

Aang laughed and agreed. "You did sleep in for a couple hours later than usual."

I frowned in confusion. "Really? What time is it?"

Aang shrugged, glancing at the sun and squinting as he guessed, "Umm... Noon?"

My heart skipped a beat and I started. "Wait, what, noon? Like, lunchtime?"

Aang nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, well, we had lunch about an hour ago..."

My heart thrummed in my chest as I momentarily panicked. I couldn't remember a time in my entire life in which I had slept in this late. I couldn't have gotten back _that _late... He had promised he wouldn't leave us out for too long. But... sleeping in that late...

"Well," I laughed nervously. "It worked. I feel much better." I felt my cheeks turn red.

Aang shrugged, hopping from the railing as he held out a hand. "Katara, it's no big deal. You slept in. So what? People do that all the time. Well, I mean, doesn't Sokka do that all the time?"

I laughed and nodded, glancing at the happily growing, glowing Forget-Me-Nots and Adine flowers. The combination was almost luminous in the same vase, the combination of red and blue and orange and white glinting in the sunlight, magical as if it were night once more. "Yes, Sokka's one for the trouble of sleeping."

"Hakoda went off to do some business at the South Port," Aang explained, snatching his staff back from a rather peeved Momo. "Suiya has the day off and is in the gazebo. Sokka hasn't left his room, since he came back from breakfast, and I've been bonding with Momo."

"Bonding..." I repeated, a thought of wonder easing into my mind.

"Yes, bonding," he affirmed, Momo flying to his shoulder and licking his cheek playfully. "I haven't seen him in a while- he's been keeping Appa company at the vet's. Appa got this weird stomach flu or something, but anyway, they both-"

"Suiya has the day off, you say?"

Aang nodded. "Well, yes-"

I interrupted him once more, giving him a quick hug as I grabbed my satchel and bounded through the door, not particularly caring whether or not I got lost. "Thanks Aang!" I called back, a new mission in mind. "I'll see you soon!"

"Where are you going?" he called back, and I could almost hear the breath of air that followed him as he tore after me.

"To make things right again!" I shouted, pummeling down the stairs and sprinting out the front door.

* * *

"Oh, how lovely!" Suiya crooned, admiring the latest materials from a market stall. The Eastern Markets were as busy as ever, the flare from the night before replaced with a new, different spirit. The people still smiled, vendors shouting their demands and offers while crowds gathered around, wondering as acrobats leapt from building to building, stringing orange, paper lanterns behind like spiders weaving a web. I stood out in my blue, but people didn't seem to notice, losing themselves in the flow of the crowd. I simply smiled and walked by Suiya's side, grateful that I had swayed her into allowing us a girl's trip to the markets. Fruits were sliced open and paper streams thrown into the air as the people prepared for the celebration of fire. The Fire Festival seemed like a better introduction to the culture of the city than being attacked by a malicious gang.

The vendor of material, an old, hoary woman inclined over her products like a wilting flower, briefly squinted as she gazed at me, Suiya indifferent as she poured over the fabric.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" she rasped, pointing an accusing, shaking finger towards my chest.

I blushed and shook my head, remembering the feeling of the Blue Spirit's hand in mine as he had lead me around the market only the night before. His warm, gentle touch seemed so distant, yet so close, as I stood where I had been hours earlier. "No, sorry miss, I don't know you," I corrected.

"I swear I-"

"How much for this fabric?" Suiya eagerly asked, interrupting the woman mid-sentence as she smiled widely.

The woman frowned out of annoyance, but responded animatedly, "Four coins a yard."

Suiya readily nodded, smiling eagerly as she ordered, "I'll take three years of it, plus another two each of those three!" She gestured behind the old woman, towards the darker purples and yellows.

The spindly old woman gave her a suspicious, raised eyebrow, causing Suiya to blush and say, "I'm trying to make an outfit for my husband."

The old woman rolled her eyes, but obliged her anyway, setting to work at cutting through the appropriate lengths of cloth.

"Good choice," I whispered in Suiya's ear, nodding as she threw me a questioning look. "Really! Dad's favorite color is purple."

Suiya giggled, looking like a erubescent teenager as she shrugged. "He said that it reminds him of my eyes." She batted her lids and grinned down at me. "And what about your favorite color? What would that be?"

"All kinds, really," I admitted, admiring the performance as a man twisted in a flip between roofs, letting the stream of lanterns fly behind him. "I've only ever seen the basics back in the Water Tribe- there's so much to look at here."

"Well, I'm glad that you asked for this," Suiya confessed, exchanging the coins required for her newly bought fabric. "I don't think I've done something like this in...well, months!"

I smiled at her pleasantly, shyly enjoying myself as well. "I thought that I should get to know my knew mother first before I judge her," I promised, taking her arm and leading her further down the cobblestone street, recognizing the stalls from last night. Multiple times, I thought I had seen the Blue Spirit's mask, children playing in small circles, wearing their own guises as they pounced on each other. "Besides, the same principle can be applied to the Fire Nation's new role in the world. I should understand them first before I judge them."'

"You're not still angry about the hearing, are you?" Suiya asked cautiously.

"Not as much as I was," I shrugged, drawing a coin from my satchel to hand to a frail, homeless man cowering beside a tent. "I suppose I could keep trying, but it's only the day after."

Suiya gave me an understanding expression, almost grim as I abruptly changed the subject. "So, Suiya, tell me about the Fire Festival," I pried with a smile. "I want to hear about all of the customs."

"Oh, where to begin!" she exclaimed with a small laugh. "Well, on the first day, it's customary..."

I let my mind wander as she rambled on, going through the times and the foods and the colors and the meanings behind it all. I nodded as if to pay attention, ever so often providing a response, but she seemed content to listen to her own voice. I glanced down an alleyway, remembering the events that had unfolded only the night before...

* * *

"_Spirit?" I asked, clenching his gloved hand all the more tightly as I watched people parade down the street ahead, hiding in the dark alleyway by his side, star twinkling over us like the sun pebbles in water. "Spirit, are you sure this is safe? I mean, won't they see you?"_

_ He turned his head back to me and nodded, rising from his crouched position. He pointed down to some of the children who played in the street, giggling and frolicking like the war had never happened. They all wore their own masks, joining in on the fun as they prepared to celebrate their element. _

_ I frowned. "But won't they recognize you?" _

_ The Blue Spirit shook his head, bending his knees and wrapping a secure arm around my waist as he pulled us both into the air, jumping like an insect and flying like a bird to the ceiling, swinging us over the top with a small rotation of his wrist. We landed squarely on the roof, the Spirit automatically releasing me. The wind played with my hair, the moon burning along the crater of the volcano, my dress dancing in the breeze. The Spirit strode over to a small crack hidden along the roof of the stone building, reaching a hand down as he knelt, straightening back up to reveal two new, red masks and a set of cloaks. _

_ I grinned, walking over to meet him with my arms folded across my chest. "Seriously? Disguises?"_

_ He nodded, handing me the feminine-shaped mask and the smaller cloak, putting his own, larger mask on over his blue one and setting the cloak against his shoulders, suddenly transformed into an entirely new person with a new mystique. _

_ I slipped my own on, feeling heavy underneath the loose, thick fabric, hot and uncomfortable as I tied the mask over my face, securing it with my favorite, delicate knot. I felt awkward and constricted in my new guise, tying the sash around my hips to keep it steady, but held my hands out and presented myself nonetheless when finished. _

_ "Well?" I asked. "How do I look?" _

_ He slapped his forehead, shaking his head as he finished the distance between us in a lasting stride and unfastened the sash around my waist, pulling the cloak off and turning it around, fitting me into it properly like a child dressing their doll. He fitted it, adjusted the hem, and then retied the sash, not intending any force though I instinctively stiffened, watching him gaze at his work. Once done, he took a few steps backwards and folded his arms across his chest, observing his work in a quick once-over before nodding. _

_ "Better?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. _

_ A spare hand reached out and he adjusted my mask, fixing on my face before nodding, giving the thumbs up. Definitely better. _

_ "Good," I sighed, following his fingers as he pointed out into the distance, over the market. Slowly, I walked up to the ledge, cautiously wondering what would be so interesting. I set my hands on the railing and gasped, the brilliance of the night finally setting in from the view. _

_ The sight was breathtaking. Plumes of red and orange and yellow graced up from lit lanterns and fires, people dancing below, stringed instruments and drums sending out a wavering melody that rung clear like bells in the early morning. Beams of light splintered into the sky, fireworks exploding in the distance, the clear resonance of the noise and the sonorous, jovial cries of the Fire Lord's people echoed amongst the scene, almost like a painting, ethereal and unnaturally staggering for a nation I had thought so cruel for my entire life. _

_ I whirled, facing the stoic Spirit with an aghast expression. "This..." I stammered, fighting for my air as my heart thundered in my chest. "This...is the Fire Nation?"_

_ He nodded, silently treading to my side with his lithe step. I returned my gaze to the world of the capitol, in wonder of the beauty before my eyes. "And..." I whispered, "...this is real? This isn't a dream? I won't wake up?" I shut my eyes and pinched myself, squeezing through the stinging pain before I forced my eyes back open. The world of fire was still there- the surreal allure of the Fire Nation set in my vision. _

_ I faced the Spirit, now standing at my side, his arms still crossed and his shoulders hunched in amusement. _

_ "Haha," I laughed dryly. "So, you're not kidding. This is real."_

_ He nodded, and held his hand out, as if to say, "Yes, dummy, this is real." _

_ I rocked on the balls of my feet as I teetered towards the edge. "I want to go down there," I stated, entranced. "I want to explore it, experience it." _

_ His fingers slowly entangled between mine, lifting my hand to his shoulder and setting it there, wrapping an arm beneath my knees and back as he jumped, falling down and cascading from an awning, landing and crouching down to both feet, myself still safely in his embrace. I squeezed his neck and laughed, giggling that no one had noticed our arrival. The festivities were continuing as if nothing had happened. _

_ I smiled up at him as he set me to my feet, standing back, straight and tall as he towered above me, pulling by my hand into the river of people, becoming part of the stream as our night continued, undisturbed and in disguise._

* * *

"Katara? Katara, did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked, brought from the memories as we headed up the hill. A palanquin has brought us to the main crater, but I had insisted that we walk back to the house, as so I could learn how to navigate by myself.

Suiya looked slightly put off as she repeated, "You have salad back in the Water Tribe, correct?"

I smiled, rubbing my wrist as I nodded. "Yes, yes we do. But not like Fire Nation salad. It's all different seaweeds that we could scavenge from the shoreline," I explained. "Not to mention that it is all wet."

Suiya laughed but nodded. "Oh, yes, well, that sounds only natural to be in the Water Tribe and eat wet food! Now...what was I saying?"

"You were talking about something having to do with food specialties of the Ember Celebrations," I drawled, distracted as I saw several palace guards sprint down the street, their spears clutched in hand.

Suiya paused, also taken by the sight. "That's odd," she marveled, halting midstep to watch them scamper around the corner. "The guards shouldn't be this far from the palace during this hour..."

I shrugged, hugging the bag containing the shopping we had accomplished earlier. "Maybe they need to explore too?"

Suiya shook her head, a thoughtful frown on her lips as she continued forward. "No, no, something seems wrong. Protocol clearly states that the guards should remain at their posts...until otherwise ordered..." Her eyes widened, her lips parting as she stared at me in shock. "No... It can't be..."

I frowned in confusion. "What is it, Suiya?"

She picked up her skirts and trailed after the guard, swinging the bags over her shoulder as she picked the pace. I quickly jogged after her, sprinting until I was at her side once more. "Suiya?" I asked, clutching the bags. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

She shook her head, rounding one last corner of the house until we came to a roundabout, a fountain in the center, guards swarming like a hive of bees, officials barking orders, a palanquin hovering by the edge as some spectators crowded on the sidewalks. The gardens were being trampled as dozens of pairs of feet collided against the cobblestone, rushing about, everyone with a purpose in mind, amidst the chaos and confusion a voice crying, "It's her! Lady Katara!"

A group of men appeared from the crowd, dressed in formal Fire Nation uniform and armor, the leader of them being a face I had grown to still despise- Admiral Canren.

"Lady Katara, Lady Suiya," he greeted, palms upturned and hands parted. "What a pleasant surprise."

I knitted my brow, quickly catching on as I put forth a valiant foot. "What brings you to the Ye Wan fountain?" I asked, suspicious as I eyed him furtively.

He gave a less than happy pout, gritting his teeth. "The _Fire Lord_ permitted an investigation into your attack. We're merely deciphering the evidence you laid before us yesterday," he grunted.

Suiya giggled proudly and continuously nudged me while I gave the Admiral a narrowed stink-eye. "Really..." I drawled. "And what swayed the Fire Lord into this sudden decision?"

One of the older officials spoke up before Canren could. "The Fire Lord wanted to appease the growing concerns of the population," he explained kindly, voice hoarse from years of public speaking. "The nobles feared for their safety if the attack really was within the crater."

"Katara!" another voice called, and I couldn't help but let my seething expression dissipate as Iroh bumbled through the crowd, weaving between soldiers with the widest of smiles on his face. Behind him trailed the Fire Lord, Zuko wearing his hard expression as always, grand in his robes compared to what was considered my mere peasant's outfit. Iroh and Canren stood aside for the young leader, and I hastily joined Suiya as we bowed in respect.

"My lord," Suiya greeted, looking up and quickly smoothing down her own cordial robes. "It's an honor to be in your presence at this hour."

Zuko's scar wrinkled, rough and serrated as it always was, milky flesh glinting in the sun as he turned to me briefly and nodded, golden eyes lingering a little longer than they should have.

Iroh smiled and cut-in through the silence. "Marvelous work, isn't it? I cannot express how relieved I am that my nephew instigated this search," Iroh assured. "So far the burn marks we found along the street and the broken pottery ascertain that the crime you presented did indeed happen here. All the evidence points in your favor."

"I wasn't lying," I defended, the cuts along my hand stinging as I clenched my fists. "I never lie, and wouldn't to the Fire Nation."

Iroh nodded, consoling, "As is expected, my lady, but courts nowadays. It's such a silly system."

"Uncle," Zuko gritted from between his teeth, shooting the old, jovial man a cold look.

I smiled, amused by how teenaged Zuko could appear to be at times, black hair glowing in a mahogany shine. "Well, that's a relief to hear."

Iroh glanced at Canren with a pointed look, the young Admiral grunting despondently. "We'd like the privilege of reassuring you that this won't happen again," he recited, practically rolling his eyes at the lines the old General had coaxed him into admitting.

"The privilege is granted," I accepted boldly, standing a little taller, smirking as I knew that for the mean time, I had won.

Canren clenched his fists, but was quickly lead away by the hinting Iroh. "Lady Suiya, would you care to join us?" he invited. "The action that occurred is astounding. It's amazing that she could've been saved from the oppressors."

Suiya nodded, following after the old General as he shunted them back to the fountain, leaving Zuko standing stiffly at my side, fists rolled and jaw rigid.

I drummed my fingers on my folded arms. "So, I guess I should thank you for this," I confessed, scowling as I stared through the bright sun at the guards' work. "You didn't have to listen to what I had to say, but you did."

His golden eyes sparkled down at me, his cold look relaxing briefly, emblem of fire glistening in his topknot. "There is no need to thank me, Lady Katara," he slowly replied, voice husky. It was the first time I had heard him speak in years, but the absence of anger in his tone made me shiver. "In fact, it is I who should be thanking you."

"Thanking me?" I asked incredulously, raising both eyebrows as he leveled our gazes.

"Yes," he affirmed. "I had been trying to convince the council for months of the Azkai's existence, just waiting for the right person to come along and speak up for the people who have been hurt. The gods had answered me the moment you stepped foot on the palace grounds."

I smiled, averting my gaze to the ground, feeling small and insignificant. "Well, something had to be done. It was the least I could do."

"You seem...better," he observed, a pondering expression in his eyes. "Happier."

"I feel better, and happier," I answered, looking back up at him and shifting on my feet.

"A change of heart?" he continued.

I grinned weakly, blushing as I replied, "I guess you could say that. Let's just say that I see the Fire Nation in a new light."

His eyes flashed as he nodded, offering a small, rare smile that lit up his face, the gentle angles of his cheeks morphing, almost beautiful in the gesture. "You're lucky that the Blue Spirit got to you in time," he asserted, fidgeting as he continued, "Your death would've affected too many to count... You're the first person that wasn't the Avatar to escape with your life, and for that, I am eternally grateful."

I laughed, simpering as I watched Suiya listen raptly to Iroh's explanations. "You aren't the only one," I alleged.

Zuko measured my countenance before awkwardly shifting, looking away and bringing his hand to his face, gazing at it as he bit his lip, letting it drop back down as he squirmed some more.

I raised an eyebrow. "Zuko?" I asked, knowing that the title was well and truly informal, but he wasn't my Fire Lord.

"I..." he stammered, quickly glancing at me and swallowing uncomfortably. "It's just... I feel like because of the Azkai's attempt on your life, I owe you an even deeper apology than a thank you... If... If you would... I mean, I know it's no large repair, but perhaps... I mean, if it suited..."

"Yes?" I pried, furrowing my brow as he struggled to find words.

He swallowed again and inhaled, his breath hitching. "Perhaps...you and your family... w-would like to join my company of friends...to...to our private Fire Festival celebration...on...on Ember Island?"

I blinked, eyes widening as he almost shrank away, a rouge nearly shading in his pale cheeks as I comprehended his words. "I'm sorry?"

"It's just for three days," he quickly added. "I'd provide private transportion for you, and you would stay at the Royal grounds permitted only to myself, my family, and noblemen, and you would be well taken care of...and guarded. There would be guards stationed at your door and attending you at all times if need be. Your brother and the Avatar are welcome as well. Suiya and Hakoda have already been issued an invitation."

He gave me an expectant look while I took his words in. "...overnight?"

"Yes," he assured, pausing briefly. "Is...is that a problem?"

_Spirit..._ I lamented to myself. _How could I explain to him that I would be leaving for several days? _"When would we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," he replied, blinking, trying to read into my expression as I pursed my lips in thought.

_Well, it would be rude to turn him down, _I thought to myself. _And besides, aren't I trying to see the Fire Nation in a new light? Isn't this exactly what I need? A getaway to the ocean?_ I thought of an island surrounded by water and smiled, glancing back up at the eagerly waiting Fire Lord. "Yes," I finally answered. "I'd be honored to join your company."

He smiled and nodded, dipping his head formally. "Good to hear," he asserted, giving me a small bow in dismissal. "If you would excuse me..."

I gave a rushed bow as he headed back towards Iroh, the servants trailing behind him, waiting to attend his every need while I stood there in thought and shock, wondering what had caused the gigantic mess I had suddenly gotten into- wondering where all this had began.

* * *

**A/N: Ta-da! The first chapter in several months! Sorry for cinching the Blue Spirit date- I meant to get some plot out of the way in this short chapter. I promise, more Blue Spirit in chapter twelve as she explains unwittingly to Zuko-in-disguise that Zuko-in-non-disguise is whisking her away for a vacation. Sorry for any typos. I'm human. **


	13. A Prelude to the Fire Festival

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperlokizukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

**First update in months. I apologize for typos. **

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**12**

"You _accepted__?" _Sokka spat, eyes wild.

"Wow, Sokka, I'm so sorry to devastate you that the Fire Lord invited us personally to his private Fire Festival celebration," I huffed, rolling my eyes and moving my piece forward. "What with disgusting Fire Flakes and all."

"I don't know, Katara, I'm kind of with Sokka on this one," Aang said timidly. "I thought you were super mad at...well, everyone on the council. One for be jerks, and two for being..." He caught Momo's hand as the lemur leaned across his shoulder to take a piece to chew.

"Jerks," Suiya finished, effectively taking one of Sokka's pieces. "Check."

I bit my lip, rolling my eyes at Sokka's red face. "Yes, I know, jerks will be jerks, and all, but he seemed so sincere. Like he was legitimately sorry for the attack, and he did mount a full-scale investigation." I leaned an elbow on the low-rise table. "He convinced the council on my behalf to try and at least prove what happened. The Azkai haven't gotten away with anything now. And his uncle is just so nice..."

"Who? The pudgy man who smells funny?" Sokka whined, stealing one of Suiya's pieces with a snarky triumph.

"Yeah, General Iroh," Aang smiled, inching one of his pieces towards mine. "He's a nice guy. Was the only one in the Fire Nation for the longest of times."

"Yeah, but I think it's good that Zuko has opened up to us," I grinned, swiping Sokka's Knight in one fell swoop. "It'll look good for him to be this generous to someone from the Water Tribe."

Sokka quickly shifted his piece across the board, inhaling roughly. "Katara, I'm sorry and with all due respect, but what is wrong with you? Zuko is being a politician. You squawked about something that upset the balance of his precious fire-power and now he's doing what he's only good for now- pandering! When everyone else finds out about the attempt on your life, he'll need you to vouch for him and say that he's a good guy and he's keeping everyone safe."

"Sokka," I glared. "You are overreacting."

Suiya bit her lip, glancing between us. "Listen, yes, Zuko is pandering, and yes, Katara accepted without consulting us first, but everything considered, Sokka, it might be safer for Katara to spend a few days on Ember Island."

"_Safer__?_ She isn't _safe_here?" Sokka grouched.

Aang positioned a piece before Sokka's King, wrinkling his nose but nodding, fighting with Momo over a stolen piece. "You know, that actually makes sense. If Zuko does find anything out about the Azkai, and it confirms that they're real, he'll crack down on them hard for all the mysterious killings and attacks that he'll be able to link to them. And when that happens, they'll come after Katara for setting him on their trail in the first place. They already tried to kill her once. Perhaps until this all blows over, you know, it might be safer to spend several days at Ember Island."

"It's not a permanent move, Sokka, or a solution, but they've definitely helped my argument," I persisted, smiling as Suiya knocked over Aang's king. The crack of his forehead hitting the table sounded painful. "You're simply overreacting."

Suiya smiled at Sokka affectionately. "It'll be a good thing. The Fire Festival is one of my favorite times of the year. The decorations, and the lights and fireworks, all the colors, the food..."

Sokka knitted his brow. "The...food?"

Her eyes twinkled. "The food's the best part. Fire Flakes and Chai Tea and goose-chicken smoked over an open-air grill kindled by a bender."

Sokka fought hard to keep his shaking jaw locked. "Well, I...I guess it perhaps...maybe, might be worth, you know... Just one try."

"Just one," I grinned, my shoulders slumping as Suiya pushed a compromising piece onto my board.

"What'd you think of the Fire Lord this time, Katara?" Aang wondered. "You see, he's a nice guy."

"The...you know, scar," I started, feeling odd talking about it. "I remember it being so awful to look at when he came to take you away. And then in the council chamber, it kind of looked like a sort of make-up trick, to have this look of fire on this face. But in person on a normal day when he wasn't too stern or trying to be menacing, it just made him look...damaged."

"He's petty royalty, why wouldn't he be?" Sokka grouched, flicking a piece across the board.

"He's expressed personal interest in you, Katara," Suiya added. "It's truly an honor. Hardly anyone has the Fire Lord's personal attention nowadays."

Aang cast a downward glance. "Yeah, personal..."

I suddenly felt a little defensive. "I- he- he's just being polite and diplomatic. You know, now that I think about it, it'd make more sense if Iroh told him to invite me. Or it was a decision based on the council. Or whatever. How special."

"It's still a big gesture," Suiya asserted, sliding her final piece forward to eliminate me from the game. "Ember Island is a special place for a Fire Festival celebration. Only regulars, meaning nobles and royals, to Ember Island get to go. You are neither. You'll experience the wealth of the Fire Nation in a whole new light, all in the greatness of three short days."

As long as those three short days sounded.

* * *

Pale moonlight stretched down onto the stone balcony and I extended a leg down the railing, teetering delicately on the edge, gripping the cold marble with white knuckles. I felt so heavy and betrayed by my own weight, scissor-sharp pains darting through my palms as I clambered onto the sculpting of the outside wall, slipping down from the balcony while precariously slinking to the soft, wet earth. The night air felt warm, a golden glow rising around the crater of the volcano while the canopy of blossoming trees engulfed me, the perimeter walls extending towards a starry, dark sky. It felt beautiful, but all too painful when my fingers suddenly slipped and I plummeted the remaining five feet to the ground.

My knees buckled while dirt stained the fabric over my butt. I panted, heart racing in my ears while I pressed my sore palms to my stomach. _That was too close. __  
_

I forced my shaking legs to a stand and sprinted forward, out into the maze-like pathway I knew would lead to the gazebo. The gravel and grass mixture underfoot crunched and whispered. I was nowhere near as silent as the night, my black hood the only thing that camouflaged me. The feathery blue hem of my dress pooled between my legs as I found my way down through garden, deep in a small aura of plants and soft, echoing cries from the Fire Festival parties down in the central city. The gazebo was bare, even as I circled it more times than I cared to count. No Spirit. My breath felt too slow for my racing heart.

Nothing in the bushes. I parted leaf after leaf but the branches of the trees were bare. I glanced back towards my balcony, but it was too dark to see.

"Spirit?" I whispered, holding still for the night.

A firework burst in the distance and I jumped, clutching the hem of my hood, teeth clenched. No, just a firework. The red and yellow stitched across the horizon.

I swept down the wooden stairs and followed the pathway to the gate, two bored palace soldiers lazily strolling down the cobblestone street, speaking in faint murmurs that died as they reached the corner of the lane, disappearing back into the slumbering city. Slipping forward, I tested the metal lock on the gate, which remained firm as my fingers twisted and pulled, neutral between quivering hands.

I forced my trembling lip underneath the pressure of my teeth and angrily scolded myself to be calm. The Spirit was out there tonight. And I was going to be safe.

I pressed my back against the gate and stared into the deep dark, catching my breath. "Spirit!" I pleaded between gritted teeth. Another firework burst and popped from down across the crater, light flashing on the still palace city.

My heart squeezed as I remembered last night, falling between buildings in explosions of colors and heat while people cheered. While the people were euphoric in the only sense of national pride they had left. The sudden hunger be there once more overtook my common sense.

My fingers ran along the slippery metal surface of the webbing veins of iron and steel that patterned in the shape of an opening cherry blossom, the family emblem of Suiya's father. When I found a gap wide enough, I squeezed myself through and fell out onto the street, shoulders first. I rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself up, shaking fingers nearly uncontrollable now. The darkness was all too familiar now- these dark streets, sleeping in a merciless stupor, a cold indifference that nearly choked me a week ago as I lay on the stones, thinking to myself surely that I was going to die...

No. _No__, __no__, __no__! _I bit down my lip and buried my shaking hand into my armpit, pursing my lips and stiffly forcing my weak legs forward. The bare streets gave way to only the sound that I made at the festival at the bottom of the mountain. Nothing, the sky glistening in an otherwise empty world. Nobody was following me, I was alone.

The palace city was quiet. Too quiet. I strode down the sidewalk and watched the patterns in the walls, the reliefs on the red tile that curved around pointed roofs. Dim beams and shadows stretched as the night wore on and a chill soon left my teeth chattering and my skin pricked though sweat raced down my temple.

Something stirred behind me and I jumped, slapping my hand over my mouth, flattening against the wall, half-expecting a figure in black to lunge out and pierce me with sharp, frigid claws. But the moonlight glared off the street and I remained alone.

I relaxed when a prevailing silence assured me that my ears were lying, but my hand continued to shake. Nothing forced it still but the pressure that wound my hand into a tight, clenching fist. I staggered down the sidewalk, halting when I got to the corner that lead down into a dark alley.

I collapsed against the wall, the heavy weight of the thought that I actually had no idea where I was hitting me with an impact that nearly crippled my ability to walk. Light flashed down onto the street then faded, an echoing crowd roaring with spirit.

"Katara, move your feet," I growled, jellylegs trembling while I strained. "Time to move, Katara. It's just a stupid alleyway. This is stupid. You're fine. You're fine. It's just stupid darkness, and you're just working yourself up, because it's dark, and maybe a little freaking scary. Just...just _move__." _

My feet stumbled forward when a pair of hands wrested me from the street and dragged me into the alleyway, and as I gasped and fought only the collision with a thick, hot chest brought me with a sharp slap to my senses.

I sobbed with relief and without thinking pushed myself into the Spirit's arms, locking him into a hug. He startled, gloved fingers leaving my arms and instead reflexively shooting to his broad shoulders, to the hilt of his swords. I pulled back when I realized how confused and uneasy I had suddenly made him and flipped back my hood, blood rushing to my head while my heart felt ready to explode.

"Dammit, you scared me!" I accused, gasping for breath and clutching my moonstone, fingering the tender ball of power hanging down my chest, the fabric hot. "I thought you were...thought you were..."

The Spirit's hands momentarily lowered, still hanging in shock, head and body turned to the side, eyes hollow while his mask grinned a puzzled smirk.

I tried laughing but it didn't sound like anything. My eyes stung.

"Gods, I'm sorry, I should've stayed at the house," I fretted, wringing my hands in my cloak. "When you didn't show up..."

His hands dropped and he folded his arms, shoulders hunched and affronted, almost as if reprimanding me of something, defensive, like when Sokka thinks something could've killed me.

"I know, right, so stupid, Azkai and all," I forced out, piecing my broken smile together. "I definitely could've been killed. But you would've came in and saved me at the last minute anyway. It's what you always do."

His posture hardened.

I pursed my lips. Wrong time for humor. "Oh, sorry...Forgive me?" I tried weakly.

A change of heart took him and he relaxed, stepping back to shyly rub the back of his neck, head lowered as he avoided my gaze.

The moment seized me and I laughed, any fear I had gone at the sight of his bashful pose. His shoulders shifted in confusion, glancing back towards me.

"You remind me of a young Avatar I happened to know," I chuckled, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "But you can't be him, because you're simply too tall. Or maybe it's Sokka who does that."

His massaged the back of his neck but self-consciously dropped his hand to his side, breathing deeply and silently before offering the considerate hand back to me.

I slipped my fingers into his firm, hot grasp. "Where are we going tonight?"

His chest heaved in anticipation, slipping down beneath my arms and pulling me up onto his back. I instinctively held onto his shoulders, the Spirit testing my grip once before leaping up into the air and onto the rooftops. He leaned down and sprinted, gliding across the curves, the soft rasp of tiles slipping out underfoot. Then my stomach dropped and suddenly we were midair.

I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, the _thud_ of landing slamming my chest uncomfortably on his strong, sinewy back. I grunted, tightening my grip across his neck. He flexed his shoulders, my stomach churning as I felt his every muscle contract and extend against my skin. I gritted my teeth as he adjusted me forward on his back, leveling himself steadily. We dashed forward and then suddenly we were in the air again, blindingly fast as we were held suspended in an arc, climaxing too quickly and landing with a heavy collision.

I squeezed my eyes shut, the air ripping at my dress and cloak, hair tearing out of the bun I had set. Fleeting arcs in the air suddenly felt impeded by drag, but he somehow pressed forward. With only a few jumps made and a dizzying slide down the final roof, we reached the edge crater, the houses ending to give way to a graveyard of black stone and sulfuric, smoked soil.

The Spirit dashed between rocks, conscious of the body on his back as he dipped down into a small alcove surrounded by obsidian black spires, the air heavy with a smog that filled my lungs and burned. He bent forward and let me fall sideways, balancing me on my feet.

I released a held breath and gasped, the blood rushing to my head suddenly. I didn't remember flying in his arms feeling so _sickening__. _

I bent over and held my stomach, staring at the ground while I groaned. "Ugh, okay, wow, just, give me a moment," I managed between pants, holding up a finger.

He made a motion towards me but hesitated, glancing up to watch more fireworks pop and burst down by the ocean. The waves of cheers from distant crowds resounded in the jagged alcove.

When the churning feeling in my stomach subsided I glanced up to find him watching me, hunched in curiosity.

I smiled. "What?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, moving to take my wrist. I hesitated, wary of riding on his back again when he held up a finger for me to wait, slowly leaning down and slipping a hand beneath my knees, pulling me up and cradling me to his chest. He glanced down towards me, shoulders tensed in anticipation. _Better__? _I imagined him saying.

I bit my lip through my grin. "Better."

* * *

Light grazed the black sky and the entire street lit up with the cheers and smiles of the Fire Nation people, the glaze of bronze, red and blue chasing stars across my vision, the light seeping through the holes in my mask. I felt my mouth dropped and I cried in approval with everyone else around me, my arms only weighted by the feel of the heavy black cloak on my shoulders.

I turned and laughed, the Spirit gazing quietly up at the sky. Only he seemed calm in the crowd.

I giggled, nudging his shoulder. "Come on, where's your sense of fun?"

He glanced down with a sarcastic air.

"Yeah, right, like I can't start having fun now," I grinned, rolling my eyes and giving a delighted shriek as another firework cracked over the rooftops.

Another wave of laughter and joy rippled through the audiences and the shrill sound of music filled the air, people ahead of us moving with the newfound beat, circles of dancers parading across the cobblestones, fire-breathers launching jets of flame towards the high-strung street lanterns while circus acrobats flipped and twisted in the air.

I laughed, a hand pulling me out of the way as ostrich horses drove through, people dancing on their backs. The Spirit pulled us both to the edges of the sidewalk while the parade kept time with the music, people dancing and cheering and applauding.

"Woo!" I cried, grinning at the little girl next to me who copied my actions. A firebender swept down with his troupe, kicking outwards to flash a jet of flame towards another, who carried the flame onwards to the next person, trading off in a symphony of color and light. I gasped in awe at the brilliant showmanship. I had never even come close to anything that felt so lively and animated. I swayed with the crowd, only the still Spirit grounding me with reality.

But I couldn't think of these people are Fire Nation in the heat of the moment, my mind whirling with the color and adrenaline as pretty girls waltzed through with their dance partners, tossing pink blossoms and grinning towards the sleazy men ogling at their all too perfect figures.

I smiled, cheeks warming as one danced up to me and handed me a small bouquet, her counterpart jumping in behind her. A voice cried above the audience, "Free choice!" All the handsome young men shot for a beautiful partner while the male dancers swung female crowd members onto the street.

A brilliant smile caught my eye in a flash of white teeth and a young man appeared before me, offering me his hand with a cunning smile. I laughed and accepted, only to feel the slightest tug on my dress released as he spun me forward and out onto the street. I lost the image of the Spirit's disguise mask in the crowds of unfamiliar faces, my heart thundering while my partner moved like lightning, appearing and vanishing at my every side with the practiced movement of a master. His hands slipped around my waist and he practically carried me around, jolting this way and that in the action of the music. Breath escaped me quicker than I could catch it- he was too fast for my current skill. I suddenly felt awkward dancing when the music peaked and the drums carried out a solemn beat down the stone street, and my partner wound a forceful, strong hand about my hip and pulled me onto a traveling stage, feeling too high above the crowd as hands grasped the air and a new salvo of cheering thundered.

An announcer dressed in yellow clambered onto the stage, all show and smiles as he bellowed, "Ladies and gentlemen! Happy Fire Festival!"

The cheering was overwhelming, my ears aching in the sudden noise, but I was too run through with adrenaline to have any rational thought. I was on stage with a gorgeous man next to me while the other dancers piled on in the background.

"And now the East Harbor Bay Traveling Circus would like to present to you the Rescue from the Fire Dragon!" he continued, and another sensation of approval thundered through the air.

The dancer soon lifted me onto his shoulders, releasing his hands to let me balance gingerly, smiling and laughing with the girls who melted at the show of strength.

"We have here a beautiful maiden; the most beautiful maiden in the land of the Fire Prince!"

The dancer let me fall swiftly to the ground, positioning me on my feet when he suddenly ripped off his shift to reveal a beautiful gown of gold and white, ochre eyes flashing as he kneeled and gave my hand a dainty kiss.

"They are so in love and destined to be married- all is as well as they have hoped," the announcer crooned, the dancer pulling me across him and letting me fall backwards, catching me with one hand while gazing with a mocking love in his eyes.

"But it was not to be so!" the announcer cried, the crowd gasping in horror as a flaming dragon pulled into the air and spun over the stage, slipping through the air with a magnetized power and presence that I flinched in fear. The dancer spun me out of his grasp and I was thrown into a chair, ropes appearing around my upper arms that quickly stretched and tightened, securing me till I couldn't move.

The stage hands whisked themselves away as the pretend Fire Prince feigned shock and fear as the dragon burst into an explosion of heat and flame. I winced, cringing away while the stagehands bent the flames downwards and around, slithering through the audience and other their heads. "The beautiful maiden has been kidnapped by a dragon of fire!"

The fire coagulated and lengthened to stretch into the shape of a dragon once more, and the beady, glowing eyes flew straight towards me, mouth open and fangs glowing in an ethereal, deadly fire. I couldn't force myself not to- I screamed in fear, my chest burning.

"Don't worry, beautiful maiden, I shall rescue you!" cried the dancer, running forwards, fire igniting from his palms while the dragon circled upwards and then shot down towards me.

Suddenly, I wasn't on the street anymore. I was lying on the ground, blindfolded and gagged, weak and powerless, drained of any semblance of who I was when the heat of flame collapsed down towards my shoulders and erupted around my body, the wave of blistering fire coursing down towards my body. I cried as I saw cruel golden eyes bearing down and the hollow scream of pain flashed through the air. I struggled to move but I was bound too tightly. There was no one out there to save me. No one.

A black figure flashed in front of me and shot his palms upward. The flames melted down around the scene, my dress nearly scalding in the fire when the heat and light suddenly collapsed and hit the stage with a burst of smoke that choked me, the crowd screaming fear, the announcer and dancers scattering- the world was suddenly chaos.

The ropes binding me suddenly cut and loosened and I was seized by powerful, frightened hands, pulling me into an unrelenting, hard embrace The torridity of flame broke from my skin and I was forced down to the ground, my stomach dropping as I felt myself being carried from the air and down, cool stone flattening against my back as I was laid back, my cloak and mask torn from me.

Lights flickered in my vision and I coughed, covering my mouth while I sat up, worried fingers wiping frayed hair from my cheeks while a dark presence and muffled screams of confusion and horror resounded in the background. I blinked furiously, opening my eyes just in time to see the vague form of an unfamiliar mask be removed and thrown away to reveal a guise of white and blue.

I smiled, eyes watering in the smoky air and coughed, thumping my chest and grinning weakly, the stench of soot stuck deep into my clothing while my grimy hands fumbled on the starch fabric of my blue dress.

The Blue Spirit grabbed the cloak he had torn from me, wary of the burnt edges as he draped it over my shoulders, kneeling before me, a reassuring hand staying my trembling shoulders.

I choked through a small laugh, grinning like a dumb fool, the feelings of the cruel memory quickly subsiding. "Guess they weren't e-expecting that, were they?" I stammered, convulsing in a new round of coughs.

His shoulders slumped in a gentle slope and his fingers tensed on my arm, staring at me with such intensity that I paused, quickly falling silent. I furiously wiped my eyes and my face, smiling softly and sincerely. "Spirit...I'm okay. I'm alright. You shouldn't worry about me too much. I was probably really...safe..."

I fell quiet when he stood up and turned around, crossing his arms and curling his shoulders inwards, facing away, back towards the end of the dark alleyway in the Northern Markets, watching night, still even when the fireworks started again.

The thought crossed my mind and I my face fell, smile weak as I shakily stood, keeping an open palm against the wall of the house. "Spirit..." I started slowly, feeling somber and hidden amongst the tall buildings of stone. He remained motionless.

I inhaled, turning around and glancing out towards the golden glow of flame on the shoreline, visible between the empty, dark houses that lined the edge of the market and marked the edge of the northern docks, curving and glazing over the waters of the bay. I crossed my arms and hugged in heat.

"Spirit, when I spoke with the Fire Lord the other day, at the meeting, after I told them that you saved me... Zuko said that people were afraid of you- that you were an outlaw." I peered over my shoulder to gauge his reaction- he remained still, quietly so, so still and statuesque that my heart gave a small thud.

I glanced back towards the distance. "I could never believe that you're a bad person- you've been the kindest to me that anyone has in my entire life, but it makes me wonder... After everything you've done for me... Why?"

The Blue Spirit held still. The beats dragged on and I quietly began to muse whether I would get an answer at all. Then, haltingly, he faced me once more and closed the gap between us. I stiffened for a moment, unsure of his intentions when he grabbed my wrist and brought it between our chests, shucking my sleeve back to reveal my mother's betrothal necklace, the cold stone gleaming in the moonlight.

He then loosened his glove at the wrist and parted the sleeve back over marred, milky flesh, whitened in an ugly, circular scar that slipped down from the back of his hand and disappeared across his forearm. He held his wrist straight, keeping it parallel with mine. The resemblance made my eyes widen and my mouth gape with shock.

I glanced up to meet his blackened gaze, when a pair of fingers extended and touched my heart, barely grazing the skin when he then retracted his fingers back and tapped the cloth above his. With his other hand he flattened his palm against mine and brought our hands into view, his long fingers able to curl slowly over the tips of mine.

"You...and I...are similar..." I slowly pieced together.

He nodded, quickly hiding his wrist from view with a few fleeting movements before touching a finger to my chest again, tracing the shapes of a character over my heart.

I frowned, concentrating, forming the image of the sign in my mind when I exhaled. "Protect?" I asked.

He dipped his head in resignation, reaching behind his back to tap the covered, lowered hilts of his Dao swords.

I gazed back, blinking, lips parting. "You protect people," I breathed. "Everyone- you protect everyone from the Azkai. Because you know that they're real. You're the only one who knows that they're real."

He nodded once.

My breathing pace suddenly quickened, the entire notion of what he was doing dawning on me. "Wait- then- you spending every night with me... No, that's shirking your duties. You're supposed to protect everyone!"

The Spirit suddenly animated, but I loosened his grip on my wrist and shook my head. "Gods, it was selfish of me to make you promise to come. I'm just one person! You need to be out saving everyone else from a genuine threat! You can't spend all your time with me!"

The Spirit shook his head, a little panicked in his motions.

"No?" I breathed, exasperated. "Why not? Because if it's because it makes you feel like a Fire Prince protecting his beautiful maiden then you're doing it for the wrong reasons."

That caught him off guard. He paused, chest heaving up and down before he furiously shook his head for a final time, prodding my chest with his finger until I kept still, hurriedly tracing another character. I watched as he finished, frowning back up at him.

"I survived?" I surmised, eyebrow raised. "I survived? That's why you stay with me? But I wouldn't have survived had you not come. I wouldn't been another victim- that's all I am! Another victim! I'm the only one besides the Avatar to escape, but that doesn't make me special-"

I paused and gasped, because it _did_ make me special. What Aang had said earlier- it all now made sense. Why the Spirit stayed with me, why Ember Island was a good idea. Because the Azkai had attacked with the means and will to kill- the Blue Spirit had foiled that plan but they fought hard. It took a near murder of their leader to fend them off. And after all the deaths of their prior victims and the multiple attempts on Aang's life- it all fell into place. The Azkai wanted me dead. _They __didn__'__t __make __warnings__, __they __made __statements__._

The Blue Spirit was waiting with me because he knew that the Azkai would try again.


	14. Teach Me To Fight

**Hiding My Masked Affection**

spockjasperlokizukowriting

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.**

**In an attempt to update as soon as possible. Thank you to all those who reviewed, faved, or subscribed. **

* * *

**13**

Within hours the streets went quiet and dark, and the bold lights flashing in the air suddenly vanished. The bright stars glistened in a navy sky and the soft motion of the ocean crested in the far distance. Lanterns dimmed and the Spirit walked me home in silence, wrapping my burnt cloak like a shawl across my shoulders. Reassured by his presence, I hugged the fabric tighter to my chest, shuffling in the quiet night. Banners draped down cords strung across the street limply, swaying in a gentle breeze.

I exhaled, glancing between the shuttered shop-windows, darkened with heavy bars and curtains while shadows loomed down the wooden buildings. Trash littered the streets, red strips of fabric slowly easing downhill by the side of the road, discarded masks and party-wrappers laying tossed in sodden heaps, burn marks stretching across the grey-lit stone.

Glancing over my shoulder, I met the gaze of the Blue Spirit, who solemnly walked by my side, reserved with his hands suspended at his sides. I smiled briefly at him. "Is it usually this quiet?" I whispered.

He looked over towards me, silently nodding.

I shivered and looked back down the road. "And it's hard to believe that it's only the second day of celebration."

He huffed in silence, dipping his head in acknowledgement.

Guilt peaked inside me when I remembered what I had promised to tell the Spirit, and my throat tightened. I gazed back over towards him, halting to face his directly.

He gauged me expectantly, shoulders uneven in expectation.

I twisted my lips. "The Fire Lord invited me personally to Ember Island for the next three days," I admitted. "I didn't know about it until this morning, when I found him investigating the attack." I smiled. "He actually did it. The meeting wasn't a waste of time- he came through. Now they'll find the proof they need to prove that people are in danger. We won't be the only ones to know."

The Spirit stood still, unchanged. Finally, after a slow beat, he nodded once.

"So...I won't be here for three nights," I finished, raising an eyebrow at the thought. The Spirit cocked his head to the side, shoulders hunched as he crossed his arms.

"I don't know if you'd follow me there, and I don't expect you to," I hurried. "Besides, it's not like I wouldn't be guarded. Suiya's got the house surrounded, and there will be palace staff and royal soldiers on duty. Unless the Azkai have a vacation house somewhere on the island, I'd be isolated. I doubt they'd try anything."

His shoulders relaxed- agreement.

I furrowed my brow. "So, yeah...Everything okay?"

He nodded and gave a thumbs up.

I raised both eyebrows in passive surprise. "Oh, well, okay."

He left his hand in the air, the air about him suddenly becoming questioning. I shrugged, keeping my arms crossed. "No, it's okay, and I'm glad you've given me a sort of...go-ahead... Nevermind." Part of me felt affronted that he hadn't offered more resistance to the idea, but when paused for a moment, I realized how reasonable it did sound.

Besides, he wasn't my bodyguard.

"Well then," I breathed, cheeks feeling slightly pink, gazing over his shoulder and down the street to see a faint figure moving amongst the shadows.

I paled and held my breath, the Spirit stepping aside while following my line of sight. The small figure of a man dressed in dark red moved, posture hunched, beside the line of stalls and buildings, and between the nervous, thundering beating of my heart in my ears I could make the muffled sobs and whimpers that echoed down the street.

The Spirit didn't make a motion, instead holding still while I stepped to his side, watching as the small, weak-framed man ventured closer, huddled against the wall when he saw us. Glistening, golden eyes met mine and he snivelled, hands twitching as he curled them towards his chest. The Spirit was inert, poised and defensive.

The man whimpered, eyes locked on me. "The Avatar has taken everything from us," he sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. "I can't do this anymore... I can't do this anymore... She left me. No one buys from my stall anymore. No one has any money- no one can pay our debts. No more."

Shakily, he reached down towards his belt. The Spirit stiffened against me, shoulders flattened defensively.

The man glanced up towards me, eyes blunt. "Can't do this anymore..." he breathed. "No one wants the Fire Nation... No one wants it. No one has any money. It's all over, and they're all gone. The Avatar...takes _everything." _A glint sliced in the dark from a silver blade, and he brandished it towards me, locking his teeth together.

"Can't do it anymore," he whispered.

I blinked, heart missing a beat.

The man sprinted, charging forward on uncertain feet that fumbled across the cobblestone road, but before I could think to do anything the Blue Spirit stepped into the man's way, dipping low before rising to strike his windpipe, elbowing the knife out of the way while sending the man staggering backwards, falling down in shock.

I stared, stunned at how _quick_ the Spirit actually was.

The man scrambled, trying to right himself when the Blue Spirit leaned down and shoved him back with a simple motion. The beggar man collapsed again, trembling and bowing in the Spirit's dark shadow, the Spirit removing his protective mask to let the full anger of his sapphire one shine through.

"The Blue Spirit..." he breathed, gaze accusatory as he cowered. "Please, please, Spirit, don't hurt me. I wasn't going to hurt her! My children, please, they're starving. And, and my stall! The soldiers closed my stall! The Avatar took away my crops in the Earth Kingdom! Please, please, don't hurt me! Didn't mean any harm..."

The Spirit hunched his shoulders and pointed towards the knife laying in the middle of the street, glowing in the moonlight.

The man sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. "No, no, no... Please, I have nothing..."

The Spirit paused, uncertain for a moment. But his posture quickly hardened and he bent down to pick up the knife, clenching it in his fist.

The man burst into frightened tears, his words crashing together. "No, please, didn't mean anything!" He cowered at the Spirit's feet, begging for mercy. "Please!"

My expression faltered as his words violently struck a chord with me. I clenched my fists, then moved forward and tapped the Spirit's arm. "Let's go," I murmured, holding onto his elbow while the Spirit gave me a measured look. "Please, he's not worth it."

After a moment, he nodded, picking up his mask and fastening it back to cover his blue one. Huffing, he kicked the man's hands from his feet and strode protectively to my side, slipping the dagger deep into his cloak. Then, before I could react, he shot a hand into the air and launched an explosive jet of fire that burst into a ray of colors.

I started and stared at the Blue Spirit, the shouts and yells of soldiers commencing in the distance. "Hey, illegal fireworks!" "It's past curfew!" "Immature children!"

I furrowed my brow. "But he didn't do anything," I whispered, hurt.

The Spirit trembled, grabbing the knife from beneath his cloak before dropping it on the ground between us, taking a hand of mine and fiercely pressing the fading line of blood on my palm.

I winced. "But he didn't actually hurt me," I protested.

He shook his head, as if it didn't make a difference.

Soundlessly, he scooped me up into his arms and jumped, soaring into the air before landing on a roof, lunging back into the night in a run for the volcano. I held onto his shoulders and tiredly watched the ground move beneath us.

* * *

The Blue Spirit spun us over the railing and gently set me on my feet, barely winded from the long sprint back. The moon was nearly below the jagged edges of the palace city, the night darkening in its full climax.

I stood for a moment, watching him as he crouched on the railing, perfectly balanced, watching me back. After a moment's pause, I pursed my lips.

"You couldn't just let him go, could you?" I asked. "What was so difficult in that?"

He stared at me, straightening his posture in defense.

"He was just a broken man," I argued, one hand out. The Spirit only stared at my palm, and I grimaced.

"Fine, he had a knife. Perhaps he meant to hurt me. He was dangerous, he shouldn't be among people," I admitted. "Happy?"

The Spirit didn't move.

"You had the situation under control. He wasn't going to try anything. Not after you knocked him back, anyway..." I grouched.

The Spirit curled his shoulders inwards, standing on the railing with flat feet while he glanced back into the distance.

I frowned, staring at his calmly balanced feet. "Where did you learn to fight like you do, anyway?" I asked, crossing my arms. He stared down at me. "You must be in acrobat in real life."

The Spirit leaned back a little, caught off guard. Quietly, he slid himself down and onto the bench.

I raised both eyebrows. "I mean, you took out that guy like it was no problem. Fast, and efficient."

Then the idea struck me. All of the memories of the Blue Spirit intervening with fate surfaced and my breath caught. He shrugged, beginning to turn back when I stopped him.

"Hey," I began, suddenly feeling uncertain about the idea nagging me. "Just hear me out for a moment."

He folded his arms, waiting.

I tucked my hand back beneath my arm. "Look, you know that I've haven't been training very long in waterbending. As much as I love it, there's no one here besides Aang to teach me. And Aang's usually busy doing Avatar stuff anyway. And you admitted that you think that the Azkai will try again. I need to learn to defend myself. You won't always be there to save my butt, which it starting to get borderline annoying."

I caught myself, cheeks flushing. "No, wait, don't take that like it sounded! Not that I'm not grateful at all for what you're doing; I mean, you've done a lot, and I can't thank you enough, and...look, I want...would _like..._"

He waited expectantly.

Rolling back my shoulders, I breathed deeply then spoke. "Teach me how to fight."

He twitched, the air dead between us.

I frowned. "No, seriously, teach me how to fight. Just like you do. Teach me how to be calm and reserved. Even teach me how to run across the roofs so that you don't have to carry me all the time! Teach me how to fight so that when the time comes, I'm not useless."

He didn't move.

I smiled timidly. "It doesn't make the nights completely useless."

His shoulders slumped in tension and he turned to the side, one hand clenched at his side while the other held the back of his neck. He then took off his protective mask to reveal the blue one, tapping it and then gesturing towards me, shaking his head.

My heart squeezed. "No one will know about it. You'll come get me, and then we can run out together. We can fight crime! We can be a crime-fighting duo! Think about it; it's perfect! You can't always be there, and the Azkai are after me. Aang won't always be here, but the night is when they attack anyway. People like that man come out at night and do stuff like that to innocent people."

I bit my lip. "Think about would've happened if the man had come across somebody else, somebody not like us, or somebody who doesn't have you with them all night. I don't know, maybe he could've seriously hurt them. He claims he meant no harm, and he mightn't've in retrospect, I don't know. But other people wouldn't handle the situation like you would've. There could be victims. You're right to argue that he did come at me with a knife, and that's dangerous_._"

The Spirit looked away almost sadly.

I inhaled, collecting my thoughts and trying again. "The Fire Lord said that people think you're an outlaw, but I don't think you are. I think you defend people. I think that's why you started doing this- maybe the Azkai hurt you too, I don't know, but whatever it is, you're one of the only people out there right now that believes everyone needs a protector from this legitimate threat. And I want to defend people too. Telling the Fire Lord about what happened to me is helpful, but it just isn't enough; I need to be out there actively defending people. No one needs to live with the fear and the danger that somebody else wants to hurt them."

I trailed off at the thought. The Spirit only stood faced away, concentrating. "...sometimes the Fire Nation needs a protector too."

I looked away. "Everyone needs help right now. Even you."

He turned back to me, hands relaxed while he gazed at me with a sense of wonder.

I met his hollow, black eyes and smiled. "Hey, well, think about it, okay? I'll be back in three days after staying at Ember Island. That'll give you time to mull it over."

He nodded once in agreement, moving towards the railing after giving me a final once-over, hesitant.

I smiled. "Go. I need to sleep, and you do too. We both have lives to live in the morning."

The Spirit flexed his fists, then bolted for the railing, calmly slipping over and launching himself towards the wall, disappearing into the night without leaving a trace.

The curtains gently swayed in a cooling breeze, and a small twinge of sadness tugged at my smile. "Thank you for tonight," I whispered to no one.

* * *

**SOKKA **

Nothing good was becoming of Sokka's poor attempts at sleep. He tossed and turned, lying in a puddle of sweat. Not even the open windows sufficed at bringing in the cool air he was used to. His shirt and pants lay crumpled in a heap on the floor, the sheets kicked back on his bed, his underwear beginning to feel as if they were insulating too much heat.

He stretched, groaning as he covered his eyes with a pillow, words muffled. "Freaking fall asleep already," he growled.

Hot air wafted in and he groaned, sitting up straight, furiously rubbing his eyes. "Come on, pull it together." He slapped his face, collapsing backwards. He shifted, leaning his feet against the wall while supporting his head up with both hands.

Finally, when his eyes closed, he resorted to counting koala-sheep, falling in a lull that was soothing until he heard something whisper outside, trees swaying and bending beneath suddenly added weight.

He wrinkled his nose, resolving to ignore it. _Perhaps it's Momo, _Sokka thought absently to himself. _You know, Aang could be sleeping poorly too. And he's taking Momo outside...for a midnight stroll... Yeah, sure, why not? Let's go with that. _Sokka convinced himself he shouldn't care less. Big day tomorrow, apparently. Katara had promised away the next three days to the Fire Lord.

Sokka frowned at the thought. _The Fire Lord. _

"Pah," Sokka spat, laying his arm across his eyes. "Pandering politician. Who does he think he is, anyway?"

The rustling briefly continued outside. Momo was busy.

But Sokka lay distracted, his count of koala-sheep dissipating at the thought of the Fire Lord inviting his little sister to a private celebration. Pandering or not, Sokka's instincts cried foul. He didn't even know where Ember Island _was. _And why had Katara accepted so hurriedly?

_Spirits, _he cursed. His sister was too compassionate at times. Besides, she was the one who sympathized with Hakoda first- she decided it was best they come here.

Sokka grimaced. Maybe she thought the Fire Lord was cute. He knew girls did that; did weird things because there was a cute boy in the mix. Maybe he pulled the rugged-look off. Sokka had tested the rugged look on girls before. Maybe that had a certain appeal, and Katara accepted because the Fire Lord was pretty.

Sokka frowned. But he was ugly! He had a scar, he had a bad temper...besides, he'd kidnapped Aang years ago. Now she liked him?

Sokka then grinned, slapping himself in the forehead. Of course she didn't like him. His sister was smarter than that. She was thinking of safety- safety at a new place on Ember Island for a festival that riled people up. The last thing Sokka needed was to lose Katara in a crowd.

Sokka gagged and then sat up, massaging his temple while he breathed. No, definitely not the Fire Lord. No one from the Fire Nation. One member of the family Fire Nation was good enough for him. Sokka couldn't bear another excuse to have to come here again.

He rubbed his eyes and groaned. "This is just a mess, isn't it," he sighed behind his hand, legs hanging off the bed as he stared at the floor.

A tree branch brushed against the wall of the house, leaves whispering before taking flight in a small breeze.

Sokka stared at the window, letting his hands fall into his lap as he moaned, hanging his head. Aang and Momo needed to cut it out, now.

Grudgingly, he dragged himself to his feet, limping towards the window while flexing and yawning. "Stupid monk with his stupid lemur. Stupid midnight with stupid sleep."

He leaned his head out of the expansive window, gazing down into the garden. He frowned- he saw nothing, just an empty expanse of flowers, grass, and a large wall that stood erected towards the sky. He glanced towards his sister's balcony- nothing.

"Hello?" he asked, hushed, wrinkling his nose. "Hello!"

Nothing. Just a darkness that went deep into the grounds of the estate. Only moonlight lit the jungle of stone and plants.

The fireworks of the Fire Festival sounded in the distance, and Sokka sighed. "Perhaps I'm going crazy..." he wondered aloud, slowly sinking into the cool rock of the windowsill, eyes closing under an oppressive weight, and ages went by below the slow heat of the darkness that pressed him down, down beyond a world of color and sound.

In a dream, Katara stared at him. _You couldn't just let him go, could you? What was so difficult in that? _

Sokka frowned, gesturing towards the carcass that suddenly appeared in his hand. _What, this? It's your dinner. Be grateful, because it'll be delicious. _His stomach growled and his mouth watered at the thought of food.

Katara rolled her eyes, crossing her arms angrily in defense. _You had the situation under control. He wasn't going to try anything. Not after you knocked him back, anyway..._

Sokka nodded in pride. _Of course he wasn't, it's a dumb animal! Now it's dinner. _

Katara looked away, and suddenly the bright dream plummeted to darkness, and he watched as Katara lay crumpled against the wall of a house, exhausted and frightened, bleeding cuts running up her hands and along her forearms, the ends of her clothes singed. Her voice floated in his head as he stared in horror. _Telling the Fire Lord about what happened to me is helpful, but it just isn't enough; I need to be out there actively defending people. No one needs to live with the fear and the danger that somebody else wants to hurt them. _

Sokka gasped for air, panicking at the memory of seeing his sister so beaten.

_Everyone needs help right now. Even you._

Sokka squeezed his eyes shut. _No, Katara..._

_Go. I need to sleep, and you do too. We both have lives to live in the morning._

The image changed and suddenly his eyes opened, the real world flooding back to him while blood rushed to his head. He panicked, forcing himself to a stand from the windowsill while her words haunted him, the memory of the night of her attack too painful as his throat stung. He didn't dare let himself close his eyes in fear of seeing it happen in his head all over again, and instead glanced towards her balcony down across the side of the house, convincing himself that his sister was okay.

A black figure moved in the night and leapt off the stone railing, a blue mask flashing while the silhouette flew through the air to land on the wall, dropping down and disappearing.

He gaped, Katara standing with black cloth draped across her shoulders, staring into the nothing, whispering, "Thank you for tonight."


End file.
